The duo first met when they kept bumping into each other by the rubbish and recycling area of their Forrest Hill, Auckland village.

Arvida Resident Services Coordinator, Maddy Zaayman nudged the blossoming friendship along when she invited them both to the café for a drink and slice.

The Arvida Parklane retirement community residents now regularly catch up for a coffee and discuss anything and everything.. except politics.

“As my mother always said you should never talk politics because you can never win,” says Heather.

After Coral’s husband sadly passed away, she says she found it difficult to accept change but slowly started to adapt with the support of Heather and the village team.

“It takes a while to get used to the fact that you’re on your own. It’s very nice to have a friend,” Coral explains.

With both residents preferring to keep to themselves most of the time (Heather is a reader in her apartment and Coral likes to garden outside her villa), it makes their catch ups more poignant.

“I lived by myself for a long time and I found it difficult when I first came here because groups and activities aren’t my thing and I naturally don’t make the effort.”

In Statistics NZ 2021 Wellbeing data - up to 15.4% of people in New Zealand aged 65-74 reported felt lonely (in the previous four weeks) and 10.8-17.6% of people aged over 75 reported feeling lonely in the previous four weeks.*

Since branching out of their homes, they’ve both found a kinship in being introverted in their community, with Heather occasionally finishing Coral’s sentences.

“Now I know why I’ve kept her around,” Coral says with a smile.

*Statistics NZ Wellbeing data for New Zealand on loneliness and older people