“It’s absolutely perfect for me here. It’s the right size, it’s bright and it’s secure. Plus, I have a view, which is great after looking at a wooden fence for 20 years.”

Originally from Southland, Beverley moved to Christchurch with her husband and young children 50 years ago. When her husband died in 2008, Beverley decided to stay on in their earthquake damaged flat in St Albans. While the insurance company quarrelled over fixing the property, Beverley suffered a nasty fall on her uneven driveway, breaking two vertebrae in her neck.

Following a brief stay in hospital, Beverley received respite care at a nearby retirement village but it didn’t suit her accessibility needs. “It was too big and it had too many steps for me.”

When Beverley was finally paid out for her damaged flat, her daughter and son-in-law began helping her to hunt for a new home.

“I remember my son-in-law coming back from one particular open-home and exclaiming that ‘Bev can’t go there – it’s full of old people.’ We still laugh about that now.”

After visiting a number of villas around the city, the family attended an open home at Fendalton and instantly knew that it was the right fit. The final hurdle was an agonising wait to see if the one-bedroom villa would be snapped up by another interested party. “Lucky for me, he didn’t want it,” Beverley says.

Now, Beverley says there’s nowhere else she’d rather be. “It’s a close-knit community. Everyone knows and looks out for each other, but you’ve also got your own space.”

Beverley still sufferers from falls, having had three minor ones in the past two years, but she feels safe knowing she is only a push-of-a-button away from receiving medical attention.

“My villa is connected to the office by two emergency buttons, which means help is there when I need it. It helps me maintain my independence without putting my health in jeopardy.”

As an avid sports fan, she particularly loves all the physical activities on offer. Fendalton locals will also see Hine Te Ao walking down Bryndwr Road on warm days. “I’ve played competitive sports all my life, so I feel at home on the tennis court, golf course or at the bowls club. It’s important for me to stay physically fit and there are plenty of opportunities for me to do that here.”

Hine Te Ao came to Fendalton for respite care when her asthma began affecting her ability to live independently. She has intended to stay a week but Hine Te Ao’s oldest nephew convinced her to stay permanently, after she enjoyed her time there so much.

“I remember him saying ‘they’re really great here with you.’ And he was right – all the staff are amazing. We knew pretty quickly that Fendalton was where I needed to be.”

In fact, Hine Te Ao says she loved the place so much she didn’t want to leave to get her personal belongings, instead sending her nephew to pack them for her.

Hine Te Ao is no stranger to health scares. She is a survivor of breast cancer, has recovered from a brain aneurism, and has suffered from severe asthma since she was a teenager. With three senior nurses on staff, a weekly doctor’s visit, and state-of-the-art hospital facilities available 24/7 at Elmswood Retirement Village, Fendalton’s sister-facility, Hine Te Ao says she knows she’s in the right place.

“You never know when something might happen. Having trained medical staff on site provides peace of mind for myself and my family.”

While Hine Te Ao has spent time in other parts of the country, as well as Australia, Christchurch has always been her home. Born in Lyttleton, she attended the Maori Girls College in Ferry Road before studying at Christchurch’s Teachers’ Training College.

After her asthma forced her to rethink her dream of being a policewoman, Hine Te Ao embarked on a successful career at the Post Office, before becoming a breast screening advocate at the Christchurch Hospital.

“I love Christchurch. It holds many special memories for me and I plan to make many more here at Fendalton Retirement Village.”