The Orchards
photos: operator / Village Guide
Retirement living · Glenfield, North Shore

The Orchards

Metlifecare Retirement Villages Limited · Glenfield, North Shore · nestled beside Kaipātiki Scenic Reserve · independent living + aged care
Life Score
78
Strong
Capital Back
41
the money ↓
See what life here is like — then weigh what it means for your family further down.
The village

Life here

The Orchards sits on the grounds of a historic citrus orchard, now a intimate 110-resident village alongside the lush Kaipātiki Scenic Reserve. Built to 6 Homestar rating for sustainability and ease of care, the village has spent ten years cultivating a warm, supportive neighbourhood. Life here balances spacious, secure apartments with genuine community—regular social gatherings, a thriving activity calendar, and staff on-site 24 hours create the feeling of belonging to something real.

Your home

Living options

Homes designed around your needs

Beautifully refurbished independent apartments and care suites offering security, modern amenities, and choice of aspect.

Two-bedroom apartments from $775,000 (2 bed, 2 bath, 1 carpark)
Care Suites (1 bed, 1 bath) for rest home to hospital-level care
High-quality fixtures and fittings
6 Homestar energy-efficient design
Living options
A day in the life

What living here is actually like

Connection and activity are woven into daily life.

A warm, active community

The village buzzes with regular social gatherings, organised entertainment, and spaces designed for connection—from the cinema room and bar to garden plots and the men's shed. Residents enjoy resident dinners, movie nights, exercise classes, and outings together.

Community Centre and communal lounge
Cinema room and activities room
Library and arts & crafts
Cards, board games, and bingo
Organised entertainment and social outings
Bar with happy hours
Resident dinners and movie nights
Exercise classes
Garden plots and workshop/men's shed
Café and BBQ areas
Gym and indoor swimming pool with spa pool
Always something on
On your doorstep

Facilities & services

Community Centre
Library
Cinema room
Activities room
Communal lounge
Café
Bar
Gym
Indoor swimming pool
Spa pool
Garden plots
Workshop/Men's Shed
Hairdresser
Beauty salon
Billiards/pool table
Lock-up storage
BBQ and barbecue areas
Wellness centre
Peace of mind

Care for life, on site

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

IndependentRest homeHospital
✓ Registered nurse available for appointments · Doctor available for appointments · Podiatrist available for appointments · In-home personal assistance (showering, grooming) · Meal deliveries
Care and community
Where it is

Setting & neighbourhood

The Orchards is located at 123 Stanley Road in Glenfield on Auckland's North Shore, set on the grounds of a former citrus orchard and nestled alongside the lush Kaipātiki Scenic Reserve. The village occupies expansive, well-established grounds with thriving gardens, offering a peaceful, nature-connected setting while remaining accessible to local amenities.

Interested?

Like the look of The Orchards?

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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
41
Below average · #322 of 520
Better than 38% 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
~327 days
median, from 11 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 41 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%
327 days across recent resales.
60
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

30%

Accrues over your first 3 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

~327 days median

Your capital is repaid once the unit is re-licensed to a new resident. (Operator-stated average: 431 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