Paula Bishop
Founder & Managing Director, Village Guide
Helping New Zealanders’ make informed, confident decisions about retirement village living since 2015.
About Paula
Paula Bishop is the founder and managing director of Village Guide, New Zealand's impartial guide to retirement villages and rest homes.
Paula’s interest in the sector developed after seeing relatives move into a retirement village, where she was struck by the balance of independence, community and support the village model offers. Since then, she has followed the sector’s evolution into a modern and relevant option for today’s retirees, ultimately leading to the creation of Village Guide.
Drawing on more than 20 years’ experience in marketing and brand strategy, Paula has built Village Guide into a trusted national platform that brings clarity to a system that can be hard to navigate.
Paula leads a team across marketing, product, design and development, and works closely with lawyers and industry experts to ensure Village Guide content is accurate, balanced and genuinely useful.
Retirement villages are something I’m passionate about because I can see how it can genuinely change somebody’s life. How somebody can go from a state of simply managing to a place where they could be thriving.” ~ Paula Bishop
Areas of Expertise
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Retirement Village Costs
Understanding the full cost of retirement village living — from entry to exit — including fees, financial models, and considerations when transitioning to higher levels of care.
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Retirement Village Regulations
An overview of the retirement village regulatory framework, including the Code of Practice and Code of Residents’ Rights, as well as key village-level documents such as Disclosure Statements and Occupation Right Agreements.
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Operator responsibilities
What operators are responsible for, including obligations during natural events or disasters, financial stability, and the process of marketing and reselling units — including potential delays.
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Business & Entrepreneurship
Building and leading a digital business in New Zealand.
Media, Speaking & Interviews
Paula is a regular speaker and industry voice on retirement living, sharing practical insights with both retirees and industry audiences.
Articles & Guides by Paula
Paula contributes extensively to Village Guide’s Resource Centre, New Zealand’s most comprehensive independent library of retirement village information.
About Village Guide
Village Guide is New Zealand’s guide to retirement villages and aged care.
Founded in 2015, it began as a simple online directory of retirement villages and rest homes. It has since evolved into a comprehensive, data-led platform designed to make retirement living more transparent and easier to understand.
Today, Village Guide lists every registered retirement village and rest home in New Zealand, combined with expert-reviewed guides, checklists and articles. It also includes comparison tools that allow people to view key contract terms, costs and features side by side, making it easier to understand and compare their options.
Contact
Paula welcomes enquiries about Village Guide, retirement village living and speaking engagements.
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