Summerset in the Vines
photos: operator / Village Guide
Retirement living · Havelock North, Hastings

Summerset in the Vines

Summerset Villages (havelock North) Limited · heart of Hawke's Bay wine country · independent villas + apartments with rest home and hospital care
Life Score
83
Exceptional
Capital Back
46
the money ↓
See what life here is like — then weigh what it means for your family further down.
The village

Life here

Summerset in the Vines sits in the heart of Havelock North's wine country, positioned to capture the region's magnificent climate and views. Residents enjoy a peaceful, friendly environment where lawn bowls, arts and crafts, and organised outings fill the calendar—or you can do as much or as little as you choose. The village's on-site Activities Coordinator and Divine Café (serving fresh, locally-grown seasonal produce) ensure there's always something to do, indoors or out. Should care needs change, a Ministry of Health-certified care centre offers rest home and hospital-level support, with village residents given priority access.

Your home

Living options

Villas & Apartments

Modern, high-quality homes designed for comfort and entertaining. Two-bedroom villas feature bright open-plan living, contemporary kitchens, self-contained laundry, outdoor garden spaces, and single garages with internal access. One-bedroom apartments offer open-plan living with modern kitchens. Pet-friendly options available.

2-bedroom villas with optional study
1-bedroom apartments
Open-plan living areas
Contemporary kitchens
Outdoor living and gardens (villas)
Single garage with internal access (villas)
Pet-friendly options
In-built storage
Living options
A day in the life

What living here is actually like

Life at Summerset in the Vines revolves around connection, activity, and enjoying the Hawke's Bay climate.

Activities & Community

An on-site Activities Coordinator ensures a full calendar of events and entertainment. The Divine Café serves contemporary menus prepared fresh on site with seasonal, locally-grown produce. Residents enjoy lawn bowls, petanque, arts and crafts, exercise classes, movie nights, resident dinners, and organised social outings. Indoor facilities keep you entertained year-round, and a courtesy van is available for trips.

Divine Café with on-site catering
Recreational bowling green & lawn bowls
Petanque court
Residents' bar with happy hours
Residents' workshop
Library
Piano
Communal vegetable gardens
Barbecue facilities
Arts and crafts
Exercise classes
Table tennis
Putting green
Quizzes, cards and board games
Movie nights
Organised outings and entertainment
Courtesy van
Computer with internet access
Lounge with large screen TV
Always something on
On your doorstep

Facilities & services

Divine Café
Residents' bar
Residents' workshop
Library
Recreational bowling green
Petanque court
Putting green
Communal vegetable gardens
Barbecue facilities
Piano
Computer with internet access
Lounge with large screen TV
Courtesy van
Ministry of Health-certified care centre
Peace of mind

Care for life, on site

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

IndependentRest homeHospital
✓ 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 in the Vines is located in the heart of Havelock North, nestled on the slopes of Te Mata Peak in Hawke's Bay wine country. The village is positioned to capture the region's magnificent climate and abundant sunshine. The peaceful, friendly setting provides an ideal environment for an active retirement lifestyle, with easy access to the local community and organised outings to explore the wider Hawke's Bay region.

Interested?

Like the look of Summerset in the Vines?

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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
46
Around average · #254 of 520
Better than 51% of NZ villages — yet the market median is just 46. The sector is tough.
Deferred fee
27.5%
charged on your entry price
Your share of capital gain
0%
operator keeps 100% of any uplift
Time to get capital back
~247 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 46 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%
27.5% deferred fee — lower is better.
31
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%
247 days across recent resales.
72
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

27.5%

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

~247 days median

Your capital is repaid once the unit is re-licensed to a new resident.

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