New $63m retirement and care village for Christchurch

Monday, 9 March 2026

The Johnswood Ave site of the planned new Radius Care retirement village in Belfast site alongside new housing.

Retirement village and aged care operator Radius Care will build a $63 million complex on a large site it has bought for $5.5m in Belfast, Christchurch.

The 4.3 hectare block is on Johnswood Ave, and is part of a major Belfast housing and commercial subdivision.

The public company announced the development to the NZ Stock Exchange as fellow operator Ryman pulls back from the city. Ryman has cancelled plans for a major development opposite Hagley Park and is considering putting two existing older villages up for sale.

The complex will have a 100-bed resthome and 75 villas.

The new Radius village will have a 100-bed care home, with dementia and hospital-level care. This will be built first, followed by 75 villas to be developed in stages.

Christchurch City Council approved a resource consent for the project in December.

Radius Care chief executive Andrew Peskett said the project is exciting, and they want to begin construction “ASAP”. Groundworks on the site have begun.

The company has bought the land from Infinity Investment Group, the land developer behind master-planned projects such as Pegasus and Ravenwood, both in North Canterbury.

The aged care and retirement village is the latest stage of Infinity’s Belfast subdivision, Belfast Village, being developed on former farmland.

Belfast Village already includes 300-plus residential sections, Pītau-Allenvale School and Pūtahi Belfast Senior School, a childcare centre, and a commercial centre where a Woolworths supermarket opened in 2022.

The new Radius Care retirement village in Belfast is part of the company’s expansion plan as new Zealand’s population ages.

Radius Care already has 24 retirement complexes across the country, and focuses on the resthome care side of the business.

The company has three complexes in Christchurch – St Helens in Barbadoes St in the central city, Hawthorne in Bryndwr, and St Allisa in Sockburn. There is also one each in Ashburton and Timaru, Dunedin and Invercargill.

Radius Care managing director Brien Cree.

Peskett said they will stage the villas according to market demand, so as not to over-commit their capital.

“It’s a great location, close to the supermarket. Our three care homes in Christchurch are full, or pretty close to full,” Peskett said.

Groundworks have begun on the Belfast land.

“We see that North Canterbury and north Christchurch area as a really good opportunity to deliver our quality care.”

The development is part of the company’s expansion plan to open between 15 and 20 new complexes across the country in the next few years, including one in Hokitika.

“With the ageing population, the demand is growing. There will be a shortage of beds and it’s only going to get worse, so we want to make sure we are in there.”

The company owns half of its complexes and leases the rest, and has 2000 staff.

Its biggest shareholder is Brien Cree, who bought into the business as part of a management buyout in 2020 and is now managing director. The company was listed on the stock exchange in 2020.