There is an ''odd'' belief in Queenstown that residents leave the resort in their older years, a Queenstown Lakes Community Housing Trust trustee says.
Dr Dennis Pezaro, of Wanaka, said ''people seem to accept that they all leave town [Queenstown] in their older years'', and he added the trust was seeking to contact the chairman of Abbeyfield to discuss co-operation.
Abbeyfield has facilities throughout New Zealand, including Frankton, and offers independent housing for older people.
Dr Pezaro said although there were council-owned pensioner units in Queenstown and Wanaka, the number was far less than that provided by the Central Otago District Council.
''This area [Queenstown Lakes] is not well served with individual pensioner accommodation.''
While retirement homes provided ''superb facilities'', they did so at ''significant cost''.
He said the Presbyterian Support Services cottages were ''wonderful'' but their availability was limited.
He told those attending a public meeting on the proposed Suffolk St affordable housing development in Arrowtown last month there was ''a sad story'' of housing for elderly people ''in this country''.
The housing trust has proposed a 10-house affordable housing development for Suffolk St in Arrowtown in which two of the houses will become rented accommodation for senior citizens in the district.
Although the business of retirement homes is not the core business of a district council, Queenstown Lakes district councillors were told by a submitter on the draft annual plan it was ''disgraceful'' Queenstown did not have a full-sized retirement home.
Submitter John McIvor urged the council to ''take the lead''.
Cr Lex Perkins recalled ''it's only about seven or eight years ago'' that a retirement home company looked at establishing a village just outside Queenstown, but found it was not feasible.
''It's a wait and see thing.''
In his written submission on the draft plan, Mr McIvor said, ''It is a disgrace that at least one retirement home was not established 10 to 15 years ago''.
Queenstown Lakes District Council chief executive Adam Feeley was not available for comment.
