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Kandahar Village
photos: operator / Village Guide
Retirement living · Masterton, Masterton

Kandahar Village

Lansdowne, Masterton · independent villas with optional care support
Life Score
52
Good
Capital Back
31
the money ↓
See what life here is like — then weigh what it means for your family further down.
Kandahar Village Kandahar Village Kandahar Village Kandahar Village Kandahar Village Kandahar Village Kandahar Village Kandahar Village Kandahar Village Kandahar Village Kandahar Village Kandahar Village
The village

Life here

Kandahar Village sits in the heart of Masterton's leafy Lansdowne suburb, where modern architecture meets the Wairarapa sunshine. Enliven's 39 purpose-built villas are designed for independence and comfort—bright, open-plan homes with private courtyards and easy indoor–outdoor flow. You'll find a supportive community here: social activities, shared spaces, and village events bring neighbours together, while ongoing maintenance means you focus on enjoying the lifestyle you deserve. If your care needs change, priority entry into adjacent Kandahar Home is available.

Your home

Living options

Modern Villas

Purpose-built, architecturally designed villas with Lifemark 4 accessibility features, bright open-plan layouts, private outdoor courtyards, modern kitchens and bathrooms.

✓ 39 two-bedroom villas
✓ 105–118 m² floor area
✓ Internal garage parking
✓ Level access and thoughtful circulation
✓ Private courtyards
✓ Pets welcome
Living options
A day in the life

What living here is actually like

Life at Kandahar is about connection and ease.

Community & Activities

Enjoy a warm, welcoming community with regular social gatherings, village events, and shared spaces. Optional services—meals, personal care, laundry, housekeeping, and guest accommodation—are available to support your lifestyle.

✓ Communal lounge
✓ Arts and crafts
✓ Exercise classes
✓ Quizzes and card games
✓ Social outings
✓ Resident dinners
✓ Organised entertainment
✓ Emergency call system in units
Always something on
On your doorstep

Facilities & services

Communal lounge
Arts and crafts studio
Exercise classes
Social outings
Guest accommodation
Internal garage parking
Private courtyards
Peace of mind

Care for life, on site

If your health changes, you won't have to leave the place you know. Kandahar Village offers these levels of care on site:

Independent
✓ Meals and catering · Personal care · Laundry · Housekeeping · Short-term care
Care and community
Where it is

Setting & neighbourhood

Kandahar Village is located in Lansdowne, a beautiful suburb of Masterton in the Wairarapa region. The village sits close to cafés, shops, and cultural attractions, alongside scenic parks and countryside. Masterton is the vibrant hub of the Wairarapa, offering easy access to everything you need while maintaining a tranquil, community-focused setting.

Interested?

Like the look of Kandahar?

Get the brochure, current pricing and availability, or book a look around — sent straight to you. No pressure, and we'll never pass your details to the village without asking.

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Now the practical part

The money — what comes back to your family

You've seen why you'd love it. This is the part most families only discover at the exit statement — so we put it in plain sight. Every figure is from the village's own filed Disclosure Statement.

Capital Back score
31
Capital-unfriendly · #437 of 520
Better than 16% of NZ villages — yet the market median is just 46. The sector is tough.
Deferred fee
25%
charged on your entry price
Your share of capital gain
0%
operator keeps 100% of any uplift
Time to get capital back
~285 days
median, from 2 recent resales
Fees after you leave
Continue
charged until the unit resells
Before you sign, get independent eyes on the contract.An ORA-review lawyer or independent financial adviser — never paid by any operator — checks what it really means for your family.
⚖ Get independent advice →
How the 31 is built

Nothing hidden — every component

The Capital Back score is a transparent weighting of five filed terms — you can see exactly where this village wins and loses.

Move-in fee you don't get back Deferred Management Fee — weighted 30%
25% deferred fee — lower is better.
38
Share of capital growth Capital gain to resident — weighted 15%
0% — the operator keeps any resale uplift.
0
Speed your capital returns Median resale time — weighted 30%
285 days across recent resales.
66
Fees stop when you leave Weekly fees on exit — weighted 15%
Fees continue until the unit resells.
0
Interest if repayment is slow Interest on delayed capital — weighted 10%
No interest on delayed repayment.
0
The filed terms, in plain English

What the Disclosure Statement actually says

Every operator uses different words for the same thing — we normalise them so you can compare like with like.

%

Deferred Management Fee

25%

Accrues over your first 5 years, charged on the entry price.

Market: median 30%; only 16% of villages charge under 25%.
↑

Capital gain

0% to the resident

Any increase in the licence value at resale is kept entirely by the operator.

Market: just 8% of NZ villages share any capital gain.
⏱

How fast your capital comes back

~285 days median

Your capital is repaid once the unit is re-licensed to a new resident. (Operator-stated average: 285 days.)

Market: median 154 days; 21 villages still average over a year.
!

Fees & interest on exit

Watch this

Weekly fees continue until the unit resells.

Market: 220 of 520 villages keep charging weekly fees after you've gone.
Before you sign the ORA

The reckoning usually arrives too late

  • You're buying a licence to occupy, not the home — you can't sell, rent or borrow against it.
  • A large deferred fee is gone within a few years, whatever the unit later sells for.
  • Your family carries the risk of how long resale takes — and the operator's ability to pay.
  • None of this is hidden — it's all in the Disclosure Statement most people sign without reading.
Have someone independent read it first

We'll connect you with a retirement-village review lawyer or independent financial adviser — no operator pays to be here.

Request an ORA review → Talk to a financial adviser