Information for staff

All Selwyn villages, except for the historic Selwyn Village, will transfer to the care and guidance of Metlifecare. This includes the buildings and grounds, as well as the staff and residents.

~ The Selwyn Foundation

The Selwyn Foundation has always been committed to maximising social and community impact for vulnerable older people. In the context of the growing need amongst that group, we wanted to look at innovative, new frameworks to maximise our community and social impact for vulnerable older people. In particular, we wanted to enhance our charitable activities across our three priority areas – loneliness and social isolation, hardship support and affordable housing, along with spirituality. We are looking to serve more older people beyond our village environments, upholding Tikanga Māori and Tikanga Pasifika principles.

The Foundation will invest the funds from the sale of our retirement villages in line with our faith and values.

This will enable us to use dividends to increase our annual giving from an average of one million each year – up to $100m over ten years.  

~ The Selwyn Foundation

The sale was officially signed on [date] with the transition to new ownership starting now and Metlifecare full ownership commencing on 1 February 2022 (TBC). There will be a detailed hand over process, underpinned by the Selwyn Way, to ensure staff and residents find the transition as smooth as possible.

~ The Selwyn Foundation

Both Selwyn and Metlifecare are committed to making the transition as seamless as possible. All of the activities that you currently enjoy will continue and there will be no change to any of the daily routines within your village. In the next few months you will see a different logo on the front gate, and that staff may wearing different uniforms, but all the villages will continue to operate as they always do.  

~ The Selwyn Foundation

The villages moving to Metlifecare will see little change in their daily activities. Staff in the villages that have been sold will transfer to the care and guidance of Earl and his team at Metlifecare, while staff at our Selwyn Village will remain under the care and guidance of the Foundation.

While there will be a consultation process and may be changes to some roles, the daily activity for most staff across the different villages will remain unchanged, instead staff will be working for a different organisation.

~ The Selwyn Foundation

Once the sale is concluded, and within an agreed period the six villages will adopt Metlifecare branding. Metlifecare will share the new naming of each village when appropriate. Selwyn’s core Christian principles were an important consideration when considering who we might sell our villages too. Metlifecare understands the strong values that underpin the Selwyn spirit and way of life and are committed to ensuring those values remain a core presence as the villages evolve under their care and guidance. In fact we felt that many of our values were well aligned. Chapels and chaplaincy services will be maintained so those residents who chose Selwyn villages for this reason have continued access.

~ The Selwyn Foundation

The historic Selwyn Village in Point Chevalier is where The Selwyn Foundation was founded and it is an important taonga (treasure) in our history. For that reason, the Board made the decision to retain it.

~ The Selwyn Foundation

Metlifecare is a well-known and highly respected retirement village and aged care operator. Metlifecare has 26 villages in the North Island, with close to 6,000 residents who are proud to call their Metlifecare village home.

This year, Metlifecare was named New Zealand’s favourite retirement village operator, having won the inaugural the CANSTAR Blue Most Satisfied Customers Award – 2021.

~Metlifecare

Selwyn’s core principles were an important consideration when considering who they might sell their villages to.

Metlifecare’s integrated model of care is akin to Selwyn’s holistic wellbeing approach. We think the values match between our organisations is strong.

The Selwyn Way enriches the wellbeing of older people through emotional, physical and spiritual dimensions with a focus on five key domains. Metlifecare shares this focus. Metlifecare has partnered with AUT University to develop a holistic framework of seven dimensions of wellbeing, modified for older adults, against which they assess all village communities.

Metlifecare understands the strong values that underpin the Selwyn spirit and way of life and is committed to ensuring those values remain a core presence.

~Metlifecare

These changes were driven by the Strategic Review which was commissioned by the Board in 2020 and looked at how The Selwyn Foundation could better deliver against its charitable Mission. This Review looked at innovative, new frameworks to maximise our community and social impact for vulnerable older people. In particular, we were considering how to enhance our charitable activities across four key areas – affordable housing, loneliness and social isolation, hardship support and spirituality – and how we could serve many more older people as, to date, our primary focus has been within our villages whereas the greatest need exists in the wider community.

The Board has taken the appropriate time to consider the findings of the Strategic Review, to reflect deeply on the Foundation’s Mission and purpose, and to review the options before coming to this final decision.

~ The Selwyn Foundation

Our strategic reform has not been driven by COVID-19. Like many individuals and organisations, the pandemic gave us cause to reflect on our organisation and our future. However, the biggest driver for this change was delivering against our charitable Mission to serve vulnerable older people and respond to the growing need, rather than COVID-19 per se.

~ The Selwyn Foundation

Selwyn has appointed a Fund Manager to establish a managed fund and develop our investment strategy in line with Selwyn’s values and ethics. This will provide greater annual returns, with surpluses available to further advance our charitable objectives. As a Christian organisation, we stipulate that none of our investments are held in companies whose activities are likely to be inconsistent with the principles of the Anglican Church in New Zealand.

~ The Selwyn Foundation

Yes absolutely. Selwyn’s core values were an important consideration when considering who we might sell our villages to. Metlifecare was – by far – our first choice due to values-fit, as well as its positive reputation for providing quality care and being a good employer. Metlifecare have a strong focus on staff and resident wellbeing and experience, and on putting people at the heart of everything they do.

Selwyn has underwritten the continued provision of all chaplaincy and chapel services and we share with Metlifecare a deep commitment to caring for the whole person, including the important spiritual dimension that is at the core of our “Selwyn Way”. We are doing this so that all residents can continue to receive the spiritual care and support they currently enjoy.

~ The Selwyn Foundation

All of the activities, support and care that residents currently enjoy will continue and we do not envisage any change to any of the daily routines within the villages. Metlifecare intends to retain all the Selwyn employees at the villages to be transferred, therefore we do not anticipate any change to the clinical staff or village team who already look after you.

~ The Selwyn Foundation & Metlifecare

We can confirm that, as part of our charitable outreach, The Selwyn Foundation has underwritten the continued provision of all chaplaincy and chapel services in the villages to be transferred, so residents can continue to receive the spiritual care and support they currently enjoy.

~ The Selwyn Foundation

Metlifecare is keen to ensure the continuity of volunteering support to both residents and staff and will make contact with volunteers going forward.

~ Metlifecare

Yes. The Board has kept the Bishop of Auckland informed on the Strategic Review and their developing thinking about this decision. Bishop Ross knows that it is a decision that has been taken very carefully and he is fully supportive of it, as it is an opportunity to give a bigger focus to the original intention of the Foundation - which is to provide care and support to the elder community, and especially to those who are more vulnerable. Bishop Ross believes that the opportunity to fulfil this charitable purpose through the more effective use of the Foundation’s resources is an exciting one which we must seize. He and the Board remain committed to ensuring the ongoing Anglican character of all the present Selwyn sites.

~ The Selwyn Foundation

The Foundation has provided our Fund Manager with an ethical investment framework in line with the Foundation’s principles (and those of the Anglican Church).

~ The Selwyn Foundation

Our future charitable giving will be funded through the returns of the managed fund, the continued surpluses generated by Selwyn Village, and active community fundraising.

~ The Selwyn Foundation

Metlifecare will purchase Selwyn Park, Selwyn Heights, Selwyn Oaks, Selwyn Wilson Carlile, Selwyn St Andrew’s and Selwyn Sprott villages in Whangarei, Auckland, Hamilton, Cambridge and Wellington. Metlifecare will also acquire The Selwyn Foundation’s commercial laundry.

Should all of the conditions be met, the transaction will most likely complete in the first quarter of 2022.

~ Metlifecare

The acquisition of the six Selwyn villages helps Metlifecare towards meeting the strategic objectives of its five-year strategy, the Full Potential Plan.

Those objectives include providing a greater continuum of care by increasing the number of care beds in its portfolio; geographical diversification; and further development potential.

~Metlifecare

There are no changes to the Selwyn Centres. Our Selwyn Centres are key to our charitable Mission – to support vulnerable older people living in the community. Our Centres are run by coordinators and volunteers in parish halls and provide weekly get-togethers for social engagement and activities for seniors. This charitable outreach is a cornerstone of our work to combat the problems of loneliness and social isolation experienced by older people.

~ The Selwyn Foundation