The Rev Duncan Macdonald will step down as Chief Executive Officer of the Selwyn Foundation in February.

However, he will stay on in an advisory capacity as Executive Director. 

Since his appointment as CEO in 2000, Mr Macdonald has trebled the size of the Foundation’s business in retirement villages, residential and community-based aged care.

Under his leadership, the Foundation has expanded from four to nine sites and now provides rest home, hospital and dementia care and retirement accommodation throughout Auckland, Northland and the Waikato.

In recent years, the Foundation has moved into the highly competitive retirement village market and offers a wide range of modern independent-living options. 

It continues to develop this business and has an ambitious development programme. A multi-million-dollar apartment and leisure complex has just opened at its Selwyn Heights site (Hillsborough) and another apartment building is nearing completion at Selwyn Village in Point Chevalier.

Reflecting on his time as CEO, Mr Macdonald says: “The demands of caring for the elderly in New Zealand have become much more complicated, and the availability of beds has reduced greatly. 

"While Selwyn has developed as a successful aged-care provider, the Foundation is very concerned about who will care for New Zealand’s aged in the future – especially those with Alzheimers and dementia and those over 80. 

"This is a national issue, and all involved in health must address it as soon as possible.”

Mr Macdonald is passionate about the church providing services at local level, and his work with Selwyn has included partnerships with Anglican parishes to assist the elderly within the wider community. 

The ‘Selwyn Centres’ programme now provides community-based day services to older people from 27 parish venues throughout Greater Auckland and as far as Thames and Whangerei (with further centres due to open this year).

A qualified company director, Mr Macdonald was responsible for all ACC rehabilitation in New Zealand before his appointment to Selwyn. He has held a number of central government and local authority consultative roles, and has also advised the retirement village and aged-care sectors on financial and strategic matters. 

In his ministry, Mr Macdonald worked in four dioceses (including Ely, UK), and spent 29 years with Anglican Care, the social services division of the Anglican Church. In that time time he was also chair of the Anglican Care Council for the Diocese of Auckland. 

With expertise in management, planning, accounting, finances, therapy, counselling and theology, Mr Macdonald has published papers on various topics relating to his work.