Bupa Riverstone

Retirement Village

Palmerston North

Bupa Riverstone Retirement Village is located on the outskirts of Palmerston North providing accommodation for elderly, a care facility and dementia unit. As main contractor for this project Kernow Construction managed the logistics of multiple services in the vicinity of a partially operational facility over multiple levels of Covid-19 lockdown.


Riverstone Village Project Scope

  • 72 villas ranging from one bedroom, standard two bedroom to larger two bedroom units all with internal access garaging totalling 6500 square metres in total
  • a care facility containing 56 rooms of rest home/hospital level rest home care with a footprint of 4500 square metres
  • 14 serviced apartments
  • a dementia unit 
  • on-site community centre
  • buildings consist of timber framing with structural elements, brick and tile exterior with long run roofing.

Client: Bupa Care Services New Zealand Ltd


Scope of Engagement:  Main Contractor 


Staff Roles:

  • Brett Wistrand – Contract Manager
  • Ian Butturini – Project Manager
  • Rob Jones – Site Foreman
  • Brad Ritchie – On-site Health & Safety Representative and Exterior Works Foreman
  • Shaun Bell – Villa Foreman
  • Aaron Pattison – Concrete Foreman

KEY CHALLENGES

This project required an extensive amount of co-ordination of trades due to the high intensity of services trades required. As main contractor, responsibilities included large scale sub-contractor implementation and management of all site progress, reporting, programme monitoring and strong health & safety policy and adherence.


  • Management of client nominated subcontractors engaged both directly through Kernow Construction and through the client
  • Meeting programmed targets and budgets
  • Adapting to Covid-19 conditions both onsite and within the company’s internal systems to enable site operation under Alert Levels 1, 2 and 3


  • Maintaining high-level security level and very restricted access between construction site and elderly residential area during Covid-19 alert level 2 and 3
  • Implementation of management systems to cater for full contract management including, but not limited to, project management and client reporting
  • Working in close proximity to an occupied retirement village while respecting the requirements of the residents
  • Stringent financial management and budgeting – this allowed for full payment of all employees and sub-contractors while under Covid-19 Alert Level 4.