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Life 92Capital Back 53⚖ Get independent advice
Summerset by the Dunes
photos: operator / Village Guide
Retirement living · Papamoa Beach, Tauranga

Summerset by the Dunes

Summerset Villages (papamoa) Limited · Pāpāmoa Beach · a 15-minute stroll to the beach · independent villas + cottages + serviced apartments + full continuum of care
Life Score
92
Exceptional
Capital Back
53
the money ↓
See what life here is like — then weigh what it means for your family further down.
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The village

Life here

Nestled in idyllic Pāpāmoa Beach, Summerset by the Dunes sits surrounded by beautiful beaches and rolling hills, yet remains close to local shops and amenities. Residents enjoy a relaxed coastal lifestyle with a vibrant village centre featuring a Divine Café, indoor swimming pool, and year-round activities. Whether you're strolling to the beach, joining lawn bowls, or savouring fresh seasonal meals prepared on-site, life here balances peace with purpose.

Your home

Living options

Homes to Suit Your Lifestyle

Choose from modern, single-storey homes with private outdoor living, or serviced apartments with ensuite and separate living areas. All designed for low-maintenance, independent living.

✓ 2–3 bedroom villas with internal garage, modern open-plan living, accessible showers & grab rails
✓ 2 bedroom cottages with open-plan living & outdoor areas
✓ 1 bedroom serviced apartments with double bedroom, ensuite & separate living area
✓ Care centre rooms (Premium, Deluxe, Care suites)
✓ Memory care apartments (Ministry of Health certified, secure dementia care)
Living options
A day in the life

What living here is actually like

An Activities Coordinator ensures there's always something to do, indoors or out.

Village Life & Dining

The Divine Café serves contemporary food with fresh, locally grown seasonal produce. Residents enjoy organised outings, entertainment, and a full calendar of social activities in a welcoming community.

✓ Divine Café (open 9am–3pm daily, open to residents & community)
✓ Indoor swimming pool & indoor spa pool
✓ Recreational bowling green & lawn bowls
✓ Exercise classes & gym
✓ Cinema room, library, arts & crafts, piano
✓ Resident bar with happy hours, cards & board games
✓ Communal vegetable gardens & resident workshop
✓ Organised outings, resident dinners, movie nights, bingo, quizzes
✓ Courtesy van for local transport
Always something on
On your doorstep

Facilities & services

Divine Café
Indoor swimming pool
Indoor spa pool
Recreational bowling green
Lawn bowls
Exercise room & gym
Cinema room
Library
Hair salon
Resident bar
Pool table
Piano
Arts & crafts
Communal vegetable gardens
Resident workshop
Computer with internet access
Lounge with large screen TV
Barbecue facilities
Chapel
Courtesy van
Peace of mind

Care for life, on site

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

Independent→Serviced→Rest home→Hospital→Secure dementia
✓ Doctor available for appointments · Physiotherapy available for appointments · Emergency call system in units · Housekeeping · Linen change
Care and community
Where it is

Setting & neighbourhood

Summerset by the Dunes is located in the idyllic Pāpāmoa Beach, only a 15-minute stroll from the village gate to the beach. The village is surrounded by beautiful beaches and rolling Pāpāmoa Hills, while remaining close to local shops and amenities. It is just 4 kilometres to Papamoa Plaza and a 20-minute drive to Tauranga City or popular Mount Maunganui, offering the perfect balance of coastal relaxation and convenient access to urban facilities.

Interested?

Like the look of Summerset by the Dunes?

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
53
Around average · #141 of 520
Better than 73% 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
~133 days
median, from 21 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 53 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%
133 days across recent resales.
89
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%
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 2 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

~133 days median

Your capital is repaid once the unit is re-licensed to a new resident. (Operator-stated average: 286 days.)

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

Fees & interest on exit

Resident-friendly

Weekly fees stop when you vacate.

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