When I speak about Kerikeri Retirement Village it’s frequently from the perspective of our residents and the people we look after in our Care Facility. We don’t speak enough about the people who actually make the magic happen - our amazing staff.
Retirement villages and aged-care facilities employ many people. With a growing number of Baby Boomers expected to be using our facilities between now and 2045, the number of people we employ is only going to grow.
Industry figures show that the skills and services of 64 people are used in the support of every 100 independent retiree living units. Either directly or indirectly. That number may even be higher for organisations like ours that offer care as well as independent living facilities.
Kerikeri Retirement Village caters to the retirement living, assisted living and total care needs of almost 200 residents. We employ 135 people directly and use the services of dozens of others. We have nurses, cleaners, property management and maintenance experts, carers, caterers and cooks, gardeners, physiotherapists, plumbers, electricians, communication folk, marketers, lawyers, dementia specialists, builders, IT gurus and a whole host of others on our books.
The economic impact of this employment spreads far beyond Kerikeri. Our staff live not only in this town but also in Kawakawa, Kaikohe and all points in between.
Healthcare assistant Turiti Bonney commutes daily from Te Tii on the Purerua peninsular. As our cultural advisor she plays an important role in Village life. Caroline Hurunui, another healthcare assistant, lives in Whangaroa and commutes daily into Kerikeri. She, Turiti and their colleagues make an immense difference to the lives of our elderly residents.
Toni Owen is a registered nurse who joined us recently after completing her Bachelor’s degree last year. This is her first job and it’s enabled her to remain in the mid-North. She lives with her family in Pakaraka.
Then there are those who have returned home to Northland, bringing their valuable skills with them to work at the Village. These include registered nurse Laura Barron who grew up here. She saw the mid-North as the place she wanted to raise her young family in and returned from Australia.
For many, the Village is a place to grow careers. Continuing professional development is something we take seriously and only last month we presented CPD certificates to 23 of our colleagues who successfully upgraded their professional qualifications.
For all of its diversity, one consistent feature of our care, nursing and admin staff profile is striking. Where are the men? We’d love to see more guys apply for the roles we advertise from time to time. We know men make great carers and we’d just love to see them take advantage of career opportunities here. In diversity, strength!
