Bupa Begins $17 Million Te Puke Care Home Redevelopment

Bupa Villages and Aged Care has announced a $17 million redevelopment of its Te Puke Care Home.

Close to town and surrounded by a park-like ground and award-winning gardens, Bupa Te Puke will soon see construction crews and machinery on site as it undergoes a complete transformation.

Bupa’s Director of Property, Richard Stephenson says, the investment in Bupa Te Puke strengthens Bupa’s presence in the community and provides its residents with a modern and comfortable home that matches the high standard of care delivered by Bupa’s people.

“We have strong roots in Te Puke and are committed to continue providing care and retirement services to the local community with a $17 million investment in the site,” says Richard.

“The redevelopment will modernise the facility, providing a new, higher standard of accommodation not currently available in Te Puke.”

The first phase of the project will focus on a major overhaul of the hospital-level care facility with Bupa planning to deliver 36 new premium care rooms. The new 'swing rooms' will be able to provide both rest home and hospital-level care. This means that residents will no longer need to move when their care needs change.

Alongside the care home redevelopment, Bupa will build 11 new villas on the site of the old motel and create an upgraded village common area to enhance the overall experience for residents.

Richard say, “The new dedicated space for our village community reflects the evolving needs of our residents.”

Tracey Alderton, General Manager of Te Puke Retirement Village and Care Home, is excited about the site's future.

“It is a big project and the end result we will be a contemporary village and care home that offers current and new residents a great place to live and be cared for here in the heart of Te Puke.”

Tracey says there will be disruption to both residents and her team as work commences on the site, but everyone had taken the news well, and the focus is on supporting rest home residents who must move because of the works.

She says, “The current rest home community resides in the old motel, but it was never intended to be an aged care facility. Due to structural limitations and the age of the building, we’ve made the tough decision to demolish the building and focus all our care offering into one building.

“It’s sad to see the old motel go, but the reality is that while it had performed well up to now, in the long term it’s not of a standard we want for our current and future residents.”

“You never like to disrupt the lives of residents or our people, but we believe the new facilities we are building will serve the long-term needs of the local community and region.”

News of Bupa’s plans had gotten around the local community with some wondering whether the company was shifting sites or moving to Tauranga.

Tracey says, “People have asked us – are you staying in Te Puke? The answer is resoundingly yes. We love it here, the local community is great and there is strong demand for aged care services here and across the region.”

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