Palmerston North Village expansion complete

23 July 2024

Metlifecare and Palmerston North Māori Reserve Trust are thrilled to announce the completion of 43 new 2-bedroom independent living villas, marking a significant expansion of Metlifecare’s existing Palmerston North Village.

Palmerston North Village is owned and operated under a joint venture partnership between Metlifecare and Palmerston North Māori Reserve Trust.

The two parties celebrated the official opening of the new villas, with a special kōwhai planting and plaque unveiling ceremony. The celebration was attended by leaders and team members from the co-owners, village residents and staff, local building contractors Humphries Construction, and Palmerston North Mayor Grant Smith.

Liz Mellish, Chair of the Palmerston North Māori Reserve Trust says: “Metlifecare and the Palmerston North Māori Reserve Trust have been in a successful partnership for almost 30 years now. This latest development is a great example of bringing together the expertise and knowledge from both partners in pursuit of a beneficial outcome, not only for both parties, but importantly, for the people of Manawatū.”

“The Trust has provided local knowledge of the market, and introduced the land opportunity as a means to expand living options in what is a very popular destination for local retirees.

“Metlifecare provided in-house expertise to design and manage the development through to completion. We’re very proud of the result which has maximised the potential of this once vacant site,” Liz added.

Earl Gasparich, CEO of Metlifecare says: “The successful completion of this development is testament to the highly constructive partnership we have with the Palmerston North Māori Reserve Trust.

“With the village expansion now complete, Metlifecare can offer even more premium retirement living accommodation options to the people of Palmerston North and the wider Manawatū region. Once fully occupied, this expansion will effectively double the size of the village community,” says Earl.

“Given the village’s convenient location between Ngata and Carroll Streets, which is close to the central city, it’s proven to be a popular choice over many years for local retirees.

“The new villas seamlessly connect to the existing village through landscaped walkways and a dedicated road crossing, so residents can enjoy all the facilities this friendly, and well-established village has to offer,” added Earl.

The village expansion project commenced in September 2021. Stage 1 of the project, consisting of 23 villas, was completed in July last year and this final stage (Stage 2) signals the completion of the remaining 20 villas.

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