Plans for a gay men's retirement village are on the drawing board in Auckland, New Zealand.

The proposal is in its infancy, but may eventually result in the purchase of units, a swimming pool and hiring a care worker to live in the complex.

A survey of ageing gays found 100 per cent would prefer a retirement lifestyle choice other than what was currently available. They want to be able to retire among their peers, instead of facing potential discrimination in traditional retirement villages.

Spokesman Mike Keegan said the village was first mooted after the community heard about a group of gay women who were also considering a retirement home. They developed the idea due to a feeling that the needs of gay retirees were not being met by traditional retirement homes.

Gay and lesbian retirement villages are popular overseas with the so-called Stonewall generation - the first "out" group of retirees.

According to a 2010 report by the US elder gay group SAGE, many gay and lesbian people grow old without the support of family, are twice as likely to live alone and that nursing homes often failed to protect gay men and women from hostile treatment by staff or other patients.

Keegan found that openly gay men often felt intimidated in standard aged facilities, or embarrassed by questions about wives and children.

"You have to remember a lot of this gay community lived in a time when it was illegal. They had to live their life in secret, with a feeling of guilt, and don't want to go back to that."

Retirement village living is often a lifestyle choice so it is important that the atmosphere is conducive to a resident's happiness.

After 14 years of planning, Linton Estate, Australia’s first gay and lesbian retirement village, will soon begin construction south of Daylesford, VIC.