Te Whare Waiutuutu Kate Sheppard House

The village

Life here

This gracious four-bedroom villa was the hub of the bold and subversive fight for women's suffrage in Aotearoa. Kate Sheppard, charmingly persuasive and politically astute, coordinated the movement from her family home, planning speeches and writing vast numbers of letters, pamphlets and articles. Supporters gathered here to discuss tactics, and from her dining room, Kate collated the three large suffrage petitions – the last being the 'monster petition' of over 31,000 signatures, presented to the House of Representatives in 1893. This led to the passing of the landmark Bill, making Aotearoa New Zealand the first country in the world to give women the vote. Motivated by a strong sense of fairness and guided by her strong religious beliefs, Kate's organisational genius brought together the immense efforts of hundreds of women around New Zealand. In 2019 the property was purchased by the New Zealand Government and is now cared for and operated by Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga.

A day in the life

What living here is actually like

Visit and explore

Museum and Heritage Experience

Visit the museum, which tells Kate's story, as well as sharing women's ongoing struggle for equal rights and social reform in Aotearoa. Knowledgeable staff provide tours which deepen understanding of the collections and exhibitions. Children enjoy discovering hidden displays and suffrage-era dress ups. The property offers a programme of events, talks and travelling exhibitions throughout the year in their function space.

✓ Museum exhibitions

✓ Guided tours available

✓ Children's activities and dress-ups

✓ Events, talks and travelling exhibitions

✓ Function space available

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

Below average · #301 of 520

Better than 42% of NZ villages — yet the market median is just 46. The sector is tough.

Deferred fee

20%

~$24k on a $122k unit, over 2 years

Your share of capital gain

operator keeps 100% of any uplift

Time to get capital back

~173 days

median of 6 recent resales

Fees after you leave

Continue

charged until the unit resells

If you live here for

7 years

Your estate receives

$89,500

Operator keeps (deferred fee)$32,500

Share of your $122,000 back74%

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 44 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. Full methodology →

Move-in fee you don't get back Deferred Management Fee — weighted 30%

20% deferred fee — lower is better.

Share of capital growth Capital gain to resident — weighted 15%

0% — the operator keeps any resale uplift.

Speed your capital returns Filed resale times — weighted 30%

173 days (median of 6 recent resales).

Fees stop when you leave Weekly fees on exit — weighted 15%

Fees continue until the unit resells.

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

20% of $122,000 = ~$24,000

Accrues over your first 2 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

~173 days median of 6 recent resales

Your capital is repaid once the unit is re-licensed to a new resident. (Operator-stated average: 263 days.)

Market: median 128 days; some villages still average over a year.

Fees & interest on exit

Watch this

Weekly fees continue until the unit resells.

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 $24,000 is gone in deferred fees within 2 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

Life here

Living options

Not a Retirement Village