The Pitau

The village

Life here

The Pitau is a luxury retirement residence nestled in the heart of Mount Maunganui, New Zealand's best beach town (voted by NZ Herald readers in 2025). Developed by Sanderson Group, a family-owned leader in luxury retirement living, The Pitau offers sophisticated residences with timeless design, high-end finishes, and an elegant stone façade. Located just a five-minute stroll from the ocean, residents enjoy easy access to boutique shops, lively cafes, coastal recreation, and a vibrant community. The development represents a new standard in design, lifestyle, and care, combining independent living with comprehensive support services.

A day in the life

What living here is actually like

Freedom, with assurance

Your Independence, Your Lifestyle, Supported Only When Needed

The Pitau has been designed to support your independent lifestyle of purpose, enjoyment, and lasting wellbeing. Located in Mount Maunganui's vibrant beachside community, residents enjoy endless beaches and walkways, a weekly farmers' market, boutique shops, and diverse dining options—all within moments of their doorstep.

✓ Five-minute stroll to ocean and beaches

✓ Access to boutique shops and cafes

✓ Weekly farmers' market

✓ Coastal recreation and walkways

✓ Vibrant community atmosphere

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

Around average · #281 of 520

Better than 46% 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

operator keeps 100% of any uplift

Time to get capital back

—

not enough resales disclosed

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 46 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%

30% deferred fee — lower is better.

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

0% — the operator keeps any resale uplift.

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.

✓

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