Advice
Plain-English guides to retirement villages, care homes and help at home, each with its sources and the date we last checked it.
The Residential Care Subsidy: who qualifies and how to apply
The Residential Care Subsidy is government help with the cost of long-term care in a rest home or hospital, for people who meet an age test, a needs assessment and a test of their assets and income. This guide explains who qualifies, the asset limits shown by Work and Income on 15 October 2026, how gifts are treated and the steps to apply.
What a care home costs
Rest homes and hospitals have a weekly cap on what they can charge for contracted care. From 1 July 2026, across district and city council areas, it runs from $1,513.33 to $1,634.43 a week, and some isolated rural areas have their own, higher rate. This guide explains what the cap covers, what costs extra and how premium room charges work.
Getting a needs assessment
A needs assessment from your local NASC agency works out what level of care you need and opens the door to government funding. This guide explains how to get one, what each level of care means and how to choose a home when places are short.
Occupation right agreements: what you are signing
An occupation right agreement, or ORA, is the contract that lets you live in a retirement village, and the Retirement Villages Act 2003 gives you protections before and after you sign. This guide explains the money terms to ask about, your legal rights, the cooling-off period and the changes announced but not yet law.
Reading a retirement village disclosure statement
A retirement village must give you a disclosure statement before you sign an occupation right agreement, and you have a legal right to it. This guide explains what to look for and how to work through the fees section with a set of plain questions.
Rest home audits and how to read them
Every rest home and hospital in New Zealand must be certified, and independent audits check it against the national standard. This guide explains how certification works, the types of audit and how to read the ratings in an audit report. It draws on Ministry of Health pages last updated between 2015 and 2024.
Care at home: what is funded and what you pay for
Help at home can be publicly funded after a needs assessment, or you can pay for it privately. This guide explains what is funded, support for carers, why private rates are hard to compare, what to ask, and some providers to contact.
Selling the family home to pay for a village or care
Selling a family home to pay for a retirement village or care involves timing, legal advice and, for care, the Residential Care Subsidy asset test. This guide sets out a practical order of steps and keeps the official rules separate from our general guidance.
See also how retirement village fees work and what a standard care home room costs.