Gwen Webb celebrated her 100th birthday on Friday, and in so doing set a new record for the number of centenarians living in the care facility at Kerikeri Retirement Village. There are now six, with a grand total of 607 years between them.
A seventh centenarian, 103-year-old Nell Graveson, still lives independently in her cottage at the village.
"We were thrilled to welcome Gwen to our expanding 100 Club," Retirement Village chief executive Hilary Sumpter said. "Our role in supporting these amazing people is to enable them to live the life they want, and to ensure that they still have purpose. This lot are First World War babies, and I believe their stoicism is what sees them still here and happy today."
Ms Sumpter said there was a general trend in aged care towards increased longevity, and she expected, in the not too distant future, to see two generations of families in retirement villages.
"With so many people living so much longer we start to see new medical conditions appearing, and often several medical conditions at once, so we have to adapt our care to meet the needs of these very special people."
