Australian property fund manager Centuria has bought a portfolio of New Zealand aged care homes as it looks to expand its presence in the sector.

It is paying $291 million for 38 facilities scattered around the country, currently owned by Australian private equity firm Adamantem and run by Heritage Lifecare.

Heritage Lifecare currently list facilities in their portfolio in Tauranga, Te Puke and Rotorua.

Of the sites, 25 will be put into a New Zealand based healthcare property investment fund to be launched next year, with the balance to be added to an existing similar fund in Australia.

"New Zealand benefits from high levels of aged care subsidies with a significant percentage of an individual's care funded directly by the government along with funding from their pension," says Centuria New Zealand chief executive Mark Francis.

"The stability of this model, and the broader regulatory environment, provides reliable revenue streams for the fund."

Francis said the acquisition was further strengthened by the retention of Heritage Lifecare as the operator and the 30-year leases on the properties, which gave certainty for the investment fund, with limited expenditure and better value for investors.

"These metrics, coupled with annual CPI-linked rent reviews, provides a compelling investment opportunity."

He says there were few chances of entering the aged care sector in this country and Centuria would be on the lookout for more, expecting that there would be consolidation in the industry, which would offer scope for future expansion.

- RNZ