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History
An Enduring Vision
Sometimes, the initial vision for a civic deed is so strong that it gains size, quality and significance over the decades.
Such was the vision for Selwyn Village, conceived of by a small group of Aucklanders – clergy, businessmen, local and Central Government and citizens – in the tough, defining years leading up to the mid 1950s.
When Governor General Sir Willoughby Norrie laid the foundation stone of the main block on 22 April 1953, according to the NZ Herald, he said: “If this venture succeeds….it may well become the forerunner of others in all parts of the Dominion.”
Little did the 1,300 people watching him that day know that their enthusiasm would indeed build a village, now housing over 650 residents on site (the original plan had been to accommodate 70). The same group of visionaries would also redefine the model for care of senior citizens in New Zealand for generations to come.
Legacy of the Great Depression
The idea for Selwyn Village was probably unique in New Zealand at the time. It was envisaged as a village for independent living for the elderly, based around cottages rather than a hostel-type residence. Russell Stone, historian and author of a definitive book about Selwyn Village (1979), puts it thus: “…such a proposal, at least in New Zealand, was revolutionary.”
Selwyn Village was born out of the painful legacy of the Great Depression in New Zealand in the 1920s and 30s, followed by the growth and struggle of post WWII. Each event had a profound effect on the country. The man at the coalface of this change was the original Missioner for the Auckland City Mission, the Reverend Jasper Calder. Jasper was described by Russell Stone as a “flamboyant extrovert”, but also essentially practical and down-to-earth. He realised from his experiences with the Mission that some of Auckland’s elderly were living in squalid and destitute conditions. He wanted to do something about it.
When Jasper was due to retire in 1946, Bishop Simkin felt that “Jasper’s Mission” (as the City Mission was dubbed) had not yet served its time. He wanted to keep the principles of the Mission and its operations intact.
Away in Hokitika, a young Vicar - Douglas Caswell - heard that the City Missioner’s position would become vacant.
With a three month old baby and a toddler in tow, Douglas Caswell and his wife came to Auckland. They settled in Sale Street, in the centre of the City, within a stone’s throw of Freeman’s Bay’s slums (many of them occupied by elderly). That view kept the couple going. Caswell had a “flair for publicity, skill in managing and enthusing committee-men, the sense of timing and tactic of the lobbyist who has to engineer the support and consent of (as yet) unconvinced officials and Cabinet ministers” says Stone.
Within fifteen months of arriving, Douglas Caswell had developed a ten year plan for the Mission which included the establishment of youth hostels and the provision of accommodation for old people, in which they could spend the rest of their lives in comfort. It was the concept of elderly care which caught the imagination of the public and the eye of the media. Timing is everything, they say, and in the spotlight at the time were revelations about accommodation for the elderly. As Stone puts it: “A fit of conscience is a good starting point for any campaign.”
As Caswell was redefining care for senior citizens, the demographics of New Zealand’s population were rapidly changing. In 1891, only 2.7% of people were aged 60 years and over, and only 0.75% were aged 70 years and over. But by 1936, 10.4% of the population were aged over 60 years, and 3.6% over 70. A desperate shortage of housing after servicemen came back from WWII, from post-war immigration and growth in Auckland meant some elderly were under pressure.
Finding the Money
The Government encouraged voluntary and charitable organisations to provide social solutions, but the going was hard. Money was tight. An appeal was launched in 1949, including posters, pamphlets and press releases. Then Douglas Caswell knocked on the door of Sir Robert Kerridge, the Managing Director of Kerridge Odeon Cinemas throughout New Zealand.
Sir Robert gave five thousand pounds. An enduring relationship between Sir Robert and Selwyn Village was struck up. He later funded a documentary called “Indictment” which looked at the squalid housing conditions in Auckland at the time. The film was shown throughout his cinemas. It touched a chord with audiences and helped raise funds.
Soon, the Mission was considering sites for development. They considered Church-owned sites in Tamaki and St Johns, before remembering a parcel of land in Point Chevalier that was leased as a market garden. Bounded by a swimmable beach, private, yet adjacent to a housing and shopping area, sunny and warm, the Point Chevalier site immediately appealed. 
By 1950, although the Mission was still short of funds, a permanent architect had been appointed with a brief to design “An Aged People’s Settlement” with the majority of residents living in cottages. The Mission began to lobby the Government for funding, using the plans, and in 1952 the then Minister of Health J R Marshall granted £53,575.
Autumn 1952 saw the site bulldozed, but still not enough money in the coffers to meet the rapidly expanding vision for Selwyn Village. The public’s interest was soon fired, supported by stories in the New Zealand Herald and the Auckland Star, and a display in Queen Street of the architect’s model – including cottages.
Sir Robert stepped in again when the Queen came to visit in 1953. He provided the gross takings of the Royal Command Cinema performance attended by Queen Elizabeth on Boxing Day to Selwyn Village. It was the queenly sum of £10,650 and gave Selwyn the impetus needed.
Selwyn was finally opened by the Minister of Social Welfare, Hilda Ross, on 22 May 1954 before a crowd of 2,000 people.
Today
Today, Selwyn Village is a wholly owned village of the perpetual charitable trust known as The Selwyn Foundation. The Trust also owns and operates a number of associated companies.
