Oakwoods
photos: operator / Village Guide
Retirement living · Richmond, Tasman

Oakwoods

Oakwoods Retirement Village (2012) Limited · 357 Lower Queen Street, Richmond · independent villas + serviced apartments + rest home care
Life Score
86
Exceptional
Capital Back
60
the money ↓
See what life here is like — then weigh what it means for your family further down.
The village

Life here

Oakwoods sits in the heart of Richmond, Nelson, where residents enjoy 12 acres of flower beds, mature trees and manicured lawns. The village is perfectly positioned next door to the Lower Queen Street Health Centre and a 10-minute walk from town shops and cafés. Whether you're living independently in a villa, receiving support in a serviced apartment, or in full-time care, life here is guided by Arvida's 'Attitude of Living Well'—with a lively activities programme, wellness support, and a genuine community spirit that keeps residents connected and active.

Your home

Living options

Accommodation Styles

Oakwoods offers a full range of homes, allowing you to adjust your level of support without changing your address.

Villas: one, two and three-bedroom independent homes with private garage and garden
Serviced Apartments: studios and one-bedroom units with support services
Care Rooms: standard and premium rest home and hospital-level accommodation
Living options
A day in the life

What living here is actually like

Daily life at Oakwoods makes the most of Nelson's sunshine and the community's spacious grounds.

Activities & Community

Residents enjoy a lively wellness and activities programme with regular van outings, social events, and entertainment. The Cycling Without Age programme offers scenic rides, and the village welcomes schools, musicians and guest speakers. Nearby attractions include Richmond Mall, the Silky Otter Cinema, Sprig and Fern Brewery, Club Waimea, and local sports and hobby clubs.

Fitness classes and gym equipment
Indoor heated swimming pool and spa pool
Library, hobby room and arts & crafts
Café, residents' bar and dining room
Petanque, pool table, table tennis and dance floor
Happy hours and organised entertainment
Van outings and shopping trips
Grand piano and movie room
Always something on
On your doorstep

Facilities & services

Community centre
Café
Hair salon
Library
Hobby room
Gym and fitness centre
Indoor heated swimming pool
Spa pool
Petanque court
Pool table
Table tennis
Dance floor
Piano
Movie room
Residents' bar
Residents' kitchen
Dining room
Lounge with large screen TV
BBQ and entertaining area
Covered outdoor areas
Patio areas
Peace of mind

Care for life, on site

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

IndependentServicedRest homeHospital
✓ Registered nurse · Doctor available for appointments · Physiotherapy · Podiatry · Wellness clinic
Care and community
Where it is

Setting & neighbourhood

Oakwoods is perfectly positioned in Richmond, Nelson, close to the heart of the community. The village sits next door to the Lower Queen Street Health Centre—featuring the Vanilla Bean Café, medical centre, pharmacy, hearing clinic and dental services—with pedestrian and golf cart access coming soon. Richmond town centre is a 10-minute walk away, offering shops, the Silky Otter Cinema, and dining at the Sprig and Fern Brewery. Nearby amenities include Club Waimea, the Richmond A & P Showgrounds, racecourse, and local sports clubs (croquet, bowling, bridge, RSA, Probus). The village's 12 acres of landscaped grounds provide a peaceful, private setting while remaining connected to local attractions and services.

Interested?

Like the look of Oakwoods?

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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
60
Above average · #50 of 520
Better than 90% of NZ villages — yet the market median is just 46. The sector is tough.
Deferred fee
30%
charged on your entry price
Your share of capital gain
0%
operator keeps 100% of any uplift
Time to get capital back
~124 days
median, from 23 recent resales
Fees after you leave
Stop
good — many villages keep charging
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 60 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%
30% deferred fee — lower is better.
25
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%
124 days across recent resales.
90
Fees stop when you leave Weekly fees on exit — weighted 15%
Charges end on vacancy.
100
Interest if repayment is slow Interest on delayed capital — weighted 10%
Interest is payable if capital is returned late.
100
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

30%

Accrues over your first 4 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

~124 days median

Your capital is repaid once the unit is re-licensed to a new resident. (Operator-stated average: 136 days.)

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

Fees & interest on exit

Resident-friendly

Weekly fees stop when you vacate, and interest is payable if your capital is returned late.

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