Woburn Masonic Apartments
photos: operator / Village Guide
Retirement living · Westown, New Plymouth

Woburn Masonic Apartments

Masonic Villages Limited · Lower Hutt · modern boutique apartments with views across the Hutt Valley
Life Score
33
Basic
Capital Back
54
the money ↓
See what life here is like — then weigh what it means for your family further down.
The village

Life here

Woburn Masonic Apartments is a modern, boutique retirement community nestled in the leafy suburb of Woburn in the Hutt Valley. Operated by the Masonic Villages Trust—a charitable organisation rooted in Freemasonry's principles of community care—the village offers one, two, or three-bedroom self-contained apartments with swipe card security. Life here centres on connection: residents gather for movies, mahjong, yoga, and arts and crafts, or simply relax in the library or one of two bars, all within a thoughtfully designed community that feels both modern and welcoming.

Your home

Living options

Stylish Apartments

Self-contained, modern apartments with secure swipe card access

One-bedroom apartments
Two-bedroom apartments
Three-bedroom apartments
Views across the Hutt Valley
Landscaped grounds
Living options
A day in the life

What living here is actually like

A vibrant community atmosphere with plenty to do

Activities & Facilities

Residents enjoy a full calendar of social activities and access to quality facilities including a movie theatre with regular screenings, two conservatories, a library, men's shed, hairdressing and beauty salon, and recreational spaces.

Movie theatre with regular films
Two conservatories
Library
Men's shed
Two bars
Hairdresser and beauty salon on site
Dining area
Pool room
Indoor bowls and games area
Meeting room
Health suite
Mahjong
Yoga
Arts and crafts
Friendly games
Always something on
On your doorstep

Facilities & services

Movie theatre
Two conservatories
Library
Men's shed
Two bars
Hairdresser and beauty salon
Dining area
Pool room
Indoor bowls and games area
Meeting room
Health suite
Reception with two-storey atrium
Peace of mind

Care for life, on site

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

Independent
Care and community
Where it is

Setting & neighbourhood

Woburn Masonic Apartments is located in the leafy suburb of Woburn in the Hutt Valley, Lower Hutt. The modern retirement community is set within landscaped grounds and offers residents views across the valley. The area provides a peaceful, residential setting while remaining accessible to local amenities and services.

Interested?

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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
54
Around average · #123 of 520
Better than 76% of NZ villages — yet the market median is just 46. The sector is tough.
Deferred fee
25%
~$90k on a $360k unit, over 3.33 years
Your share of capital gain
0%
operator keeps 100% of any uplift
Time to get capital back
~103 days
median, from 8 recent resales
Fees after you leave
Stop
good — many villages keep charging
7 years
Your estate receives
$337,500
Operator keeps (deferred fee)$22,500
Share of your $360,000 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 54 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%
103 days across recent resales.
94
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 $360,000 = ~$90,000

Accrues over your first 3.33 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

~103 days median

Your capital is repaid once the unit is re-licensed to a new resident. (Operator-stated average: 119 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 $90,000 is gone in deferred fees within 3.33 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