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Welbourn Masonic Village
photos: operator / Village Guide
Retirement living · Welbourn, New Plymouth

Welbourn Masonic Village

Masonic Villages Limited · New Plymouth's 'city' village · 32 two-bedroom villas with gardens, close to CBD and coast
Life Score
54
Good
Capital Back
55
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 the popular Welbourn area of New Plymouth, this charming village of 32 refurbished two-bedroom villas offers independence with community at its heart. Known as the 'city' village for its proximity to shops, cafes, restaurants and the CBD, Welbourn sits in lovely, lush gardens that residents maintain with pride—gardens so beautiful they attract garden tours. Here, residents enjoy a strong sense of community, gathering in the Village Hall for dinners, bowls, film nights, and activities organised by the Village Committee, while staying close to the coast and scenic parks.

Your home

Living options

Independent Living

Beautifully refurbished two-bedroom villas designed for comfort and independence.

✓ 32 two-bedroom units
✓ Attached garage with internal access
✓ Refurbished to the highest standard
✓ Secure lockable windows and doors
Living options
A day in the life

What living here is actually like

Welbourn offers a vibrant community atmosphere with plenty of opportunities to connect.

Community & Activities

The Village Hall is the hub of social life, hosting private and village events organised by the Village Committee. Residents enjoy resident dinners, bowls, film nights, cards and board games, and can tend their own garden plots. The Masonic Villages Trust holds an annual luncheon for residents, and residents organise activities with other villages.

✓ Village Hall with library and gym
✓ Community dinners and social events
✓ Bowls and film nights
✓ Garden plots for residents
✓ Exercise gym
✓ Small library
✓ Walking distance to local shops, cafes and restaurants
✓ Close to coast and scenic parks
Always something on
On your doorstep

Facilities & services

Community Hall
Library
Gym
Garden plots
Lawn mowing service
General maintenance
Peace of mind

Care for life, on site

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

Independent
Care and community
Where it is

Setting & neighbourhood

Welbourn Masonic Village is located in the popular Welbourn area of New Plymouth, Taranaki. The village is known as the 'city' village because of its close proximity to New Plymouth's CBD, with local shops, cafes, restaurants, a cinema and other services within easy reach. The village is also close to the coast and scenic parks. The picturesque grounds feature lush gardens maintained by residents, which are so well-tended they attract garden tours.

Interested?

Like the look of Welbourn Masonic?

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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
55
Above average · #105 of 520
Better than 80% of NZ villages — yet the market median is just 46. The sector is tough.
Deferred fee
25%
~$70k on a $280k unit, over 3 years
Your share of capital gain
0%
operator keeps 100% of any uplift
Time to get capital back
~81 days
median, from 1 recent resales
Fees after you leave
Stop
good — many villages keep charging
7 years
Your estate receives
$262,500
Operator keeps (deferred fee)$17,500
Share of your $280,000 back94%
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 55 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%
81 days across recent resales.
97
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% of $280,000 = ~$70,000

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

~81 days median

Your capital is repaid once the unit is re-licensed to a new resident. (Operator-stated average: 81 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.
  • Roughly $70,000 is gone in deferred fees within 3 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