Whitby Lakes Retirement Village
photos: operator / Village Guide
Retirement living · Whitby, Porirua

Whitby Lakes Retirement Village

Whitby Lakes Village Limited Partnership · lakeside living in Whitby · independent apartments and villas beside the shopping centre
Life Score
61
Good
Capital Back
59
the money ↓
See what life here is like — then weigh what it means for your family further down.
The village

Life here

Whitby Lakes sits in the heart of the Whitby community, where lake views and manicured gardens meet modern architecture. Residents enjoy a vibrant lifestyle with an extensive Lifestyle Centre, from bowls and billiards to an indoor pool and spa. Whether you're taking a lakeside walk, catching a movie, or enjoying dinner at the on-site café, there's a warm, active community here—and convenient access to Wellington city and the Kapiti Coast beaches.

Your home

Living options

Villas & Apartments

A range of architecturally designed homes in varying sizes and floor plans, all fully refurbished to feel brand new.

1, 2 and 3 bedroom villas
1, 2 and 3 bedroom apartments
Modern bathrooms
Sun-positioned designs
Lakeside and garden views
Living options
A day in the life

What living here is actually like

An active, connected community with plenty to do.

Lifestyle & Activities

The Lifestyle Centre is the heart of village life, offering everything from fitness and creative pursuits to social gatherings and outdoor recreation. Residents enjoy organised activities, dining options, and easy access to the adjacent shopping centre.

Indoor swimming pool & spa
Gym and exercise classes
Bowls, petanque, billiards & table tennis
Workshop / men's shed
Library, cinema room & computer room
On-site café and restaurant
Bar with happy hours
Arts & crafts, movie nights, quizzes, bingo
Organised walks and social outings
Community garden plots
Resident dinners & cards
Always something on
On your doorstep

Facilities & services

Community Centre
Indoor swimming pool
Spa pool
Gym
Library
Cinema room
Restaurant / Café
Bar
Billiards / Pool table
Table tennis
Bowls
Petanque
Workshop / Men's shed
Computer room
Communal lounge
BBQ area
Garden plots
Hairdresser
Lock-up storage
Manicured gardens
Village walkways
Lakeside walkways
Peace of mind

Care for life, on site

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

Independent
✓ Emergency call system in units · Meal deliveries · Housekeeping · Personal laundry service · Temporary nursing care
Care and community
Where it is

Setting & neighbourhood

Whitby Lakes is located in the heart of the Whitby community in Porirua, Wellington, right next door to Whitby Shopping Centre (home to New World supermarket, medical centre, pharmacy, library, and cafes) and the Whitby Bowling Club. The village is built on the edge of a lake with connecting walkways throughout the area. It's just a short drive to the motorway, making it convenient for both Wellington city and the beaches of the Kapiti Coast.

Interested?

Like the look of Whitby Lakes?

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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
59
Above average · #53 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
~144.5 days
median, from 4 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 59 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%
144.5 days across recent resales.
87
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 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

~144.5 days median

Your capital is repaid once the unit is re-licensed to a new resident. (Operator-stated average: 161 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