Formerly trading under a Ray White franchise in Parnell, the team has today commenced introducing the Harcourts and NAI Harcourts brands along with Harcourts’ world-class systems and products in addition to sharing the news with their clients.

Directors James Lee and Rosh Daji say Harcourts is a New Zealand success story they wanted their company to be part of.

Harcourts Parnell senior management, from left, James Law, Rosh Daji and James Lee

“Harcourts is achieving excellent growth domestically and globally, they recently added an exciting new international network via their joint venture with one of the world’s largest commercial property groups to form NAI Harcourts, and from our observations they have industry-leading technology, training and support amongst other things,” the pair says.

“With big plans across both the commercial and residential parts of our business we recognised these advantages would be of huge benefit to our team and to our clients and are confident joining Harcourts/NAI Harcourts will be a great affiliation to bring us to another level.”

As Mr Lee explains, the new Harcourts Parnell office, located at 2 Heather St, boasts a multi-cultural team of 35, including top commercial sales and leasing specialists and business brokers along with high-performing residential sales consultants and property managers.

“With award-winning residential sales consultant Rosh Daji now becoming a Director we have a stronger focus on growing our share of the residential property market and having recently promoted one of the country’s top commercial sales consultants, James Law, to be an Executive Director and lead our top-performing commercial leasing team we have ambitious plans in that sector too.

“In addition we are determined to maximise my strong Asian network and the global networks of Harcourts and NAI Harcourts, with the ultimate aim being to have an internationally-operating office that is one of the top in town.”

Harcourts New Zealand CEO Hayden Duncan says with Harcourts’ key focuses including growth in Auckland and in the commercial property sector he is delighted to welcome NZ International Realty Ltd and their team to the group.

“Having had interest from a number of real estate companies operating in the Parnell area we felt James, Rosh and their team were the best fit with the Harcourts culture and would also add significantly to our group.

“The location of their office in the high-profile suburb of Parnell and the breadth and depth of their team is a great complement to our existing network and we’re particularly pleased they have a strong commercial team to help continue the strong growth of the NAI Harcourts brand.

“In turn, clearly they have identified Harcourts as being the best option to take their business forward with, which is great endorsement of what our group has to offer and where we are going.”

The successful North Shore-based company’s international marketing initiative is focused on presenting a collection of more than 50 residential, lifestyle, rural and commercial property and development projects from around New Zealand to Chinese millionaires and billionaires interested in investing and/or immigrating here.

Harcourts Cooper & Co Managing Director Martin Cooper says the feedback on both the portfolio and New Zealand as a place to invest or live has been very positive and he is confident sales will follow.

Harcourts Cooper & Co Managing Director Martin Cooper in Shanghai showing some premier New Zealand properties to potential buyers, using touch screen technology.

“Prior to our arrival in Shanghai there was already good interest, with local investment groups wanting to get involved and stories in local newspapers and television too.

“The feedback we’ve since had from the hundreds of high net-worth Chinese we’ve presented to so far has been encouraging to say the least,” he says. “They have been impressed with our proactive approach, the specific Harcourts listings we’re marketing and what they’ve heard about New Zealand more generally.

“Encouragingly a number of offers have already been made and there is serious interest in many more of the properties and projects we’ve showcased, with a lot of the potential buyers indicating they would like to take the next step and travel to New Zealand to inspect in person what they’re interested in.

“In addition to connecting with potential buyers we’ve also been building relationships with both existing and potential business partners with a view to working together in the future, so that is another positive outcome from this trip.”

As Mr Cooper explains, in total 57 properties and projects listed by Harcourts from Whangarei to Queenstown and with a total value of around $825 million are being showcased in the multiple sessions being held each day at the New Zealand Trade and Enterprise Shanghai business centre, New Zealand Central. This week Harcourts Cooper & Co has also secured the opportunity to host invited guests at the New Zealand Pavilion at the World Expo in Shanghai so they can learn more about New Zealand and get a taste of our lifestyle.

The properties included in the Exposure Shanghai initiative include Auckland waterfront homes priced at up to $14 million and premium multi-million dollar lifestyle properties in the Rodney District along with a selection of high-value rural and commercial properties and exciting development projects from around the country too.

As he explains, the guest list of more than 1200 VIPs has been built up from various sources including successful Harcourts Albany Sales Consultant Matty Ma (who is originally from China), immigration consultancy Austar and Shanghai real estate development company Sunteam.

“The database we have includes people who already have connections with New Zealand through business or for example through children studying here and also people who knew nothing beforehand about investing or living in New Zealand. All are looking for sound investment opportunities, with some also considering immigration.”

Harcourts New Zealand CEO Hayden Duncan says with a limited pool of local buyers for high-end property and development projects in New Zealand targeting overseas buyers, with clients’ support, is a logical part of the marketing mix.

“Harcourts want to achieve successful outcomes for our clients and that means being proactive and taking the appropriate approach to reach the maximum amount of potential buyers,” he says,” so I commend Cooper & Co for the effort they are making on their clients behalf to do that.

“They have recognised that China is a key source of investment and new immigrants and have put an immense amount of work into this project, being the only real estate company to date to secure an opportunity to use the New Zealand Pavilion at Expo and NZTE’s New Zealand Central, building and connecting with an exceptional database of potential buyers in China and establishing relationships for future marketing initiatives too.”

Cooper & Co’s partners in this special initiative include Luxury Portfolio, Umoview, Open2view, ANZ, Austar Immigration Group, Sunteam and Graphic Detail.

An 18-strong Harcourts team have made the trip to Shanghai to present the properties to prospective buyers, with those who do not speak Mandarin being supported by translators.

For more information visit www.shanghai2010.co.nz

Business Owner Kaine Wilson says establishing the new office, which is located at 308 Hastings Street, will benefit buyers and sellers, property investors and tenants active in the greater Napier property market.

New Harcourts Napier office

“Having an office in Napier in such an excellent location provides us with a great opportunity to expose the properties and businesses we’re marketing, which obviously benefits the clients we’re representing along with the buyers and tenants looking for property in the area.  Setting up an office in Napier also ensures customers or potential customers have somewhere suitable to meet with our team to discuss their property needs.

“Meanwhile having a physical presence in Napier is obviously good for our profile and provides us with a space in which to build a growing team of sales consultants and property managers to specialise in the Napier area, complementing the teams we already have based in our offices in Taradale, Hastings and Havelock North.”

Mr Wilson says he is excited about the potential of the new office, which is being managed by experienced realtor Greg Currie.

“We’ve recruited an excellent foundation team who are focused on residential sales, leasing and property management and we also have an NAI Harcourts commercial specialist based in the office.  With Greg at the helm and the backing of the powerful Harcourts brand, our systems and support I’m confident Harcourts Napier will be able to deliver top quality service and in doing so gain a strong share of the market, particularly as the team grows and expands into the rural and lifestyle property segments  too.”

Harcourts New Zealand CEO Hayden Duncan has welcomed the establishment of a new Harcourts office in Hawke’s Bay.

“Napier is a key provincial New Zealand centre and I’m delighted to see a new Harcourts office has been established there to better support the existing population and to cater to those interested in investing or moving into the area,” he says.

“I wish the Harcourts Napier team and all of their clients every success.”

“Langfords is a 50-year-old family firm that’s decided to merge with us on the basis that we are going into the national and international sphere,” said Brock Commercial’s Director, Terry Goodwin.

“We think we can make a better hotel and hospitality division and spread around Australia,” said Mr Goodwin.

Existing Langfords’ staff will be absorbed into the new venture with Managing Director John Langford playing a senior role in the division.

“It’s very much a commercial decision,” Mr Langford said.

“We’re combining the strengths of two pretty big organisations. We know that by doing so we’ll be able to offer a better range of services to our hotel clients.”

Mr Goodwin says the merger was just one of the paths to growth.

“It’ll come organically, it’ll come from mergers, it’ll come from acquisitions – whether that be here in SA or nationally. The merger with Langfords is the start of it,” he says.

Brock Group Chief Executive, Gary Rusling says the venture is a lot more than rebranding.

“We want to use this as a catalyst to absolutely shake the market in Adelaide,” he says.

Brock Commercial is set to spearhead a national commercial property network with Brock Real Estate’s residential partner, Harcourts and one of the world’s largest commercial real estate service providers, US-based NAI Global.

The new entity, NAI Harcourts Brock Commercial will launch next week as the first office of a planned national network to be rolled out during the remainder of 2010, with offices expected to open in Western Australia, Victoria, and Queensland over the next few months.  Negotiations are also underway with potential partners in New South Wales, Tasmania, ACT and the Northern Territory.

NAI Harcourts – a joint venture between NAI Global, Harcourts International Limited and Brock Real Estate – was launched in New Zealand in July and will be the exclusive Australia New Zealand member of the NAI Global network, which comprises more than 5000 professionals in 325 offices in 57 countries responsible for $45 billion in property transactions annually.

Brock Commercial director, Mr Terry Goodwin, said Brock Real Estate was a significant equity partner in the Australia New Zealand network, bringing its experience in commercial property of more than 30 years to the group.

“This is a unique opportunity for us to take our expertise and experience in the commercial property sector in South Australia across the country and into New Zealand,” Mr Goodwin said.

“The link with Harcourts and NAI also provides our vendors with links to a massive global resource of professionals and potential purchasers and we believe this will have significant benefits in terms of the results we will be able to achieve on their behalf.”

Mr Goodwin said Brock Real Estate’s residential link with Harcourts International established in 2004 had been extremely successful with more than 40 offices now operating across South Australia and the Northern Territory.

 “That model has worked extremely well and we are now using the same approach to roll out our commercial property expertise throughout the Harcourts network, with the backing of NAI Global.”

NAI Harcourts has appointed Mr Chris Nicholl as Chief Executive Officer.  Mr Nicholl has more than 20 years experience in the commercial property sector including senior international roles with Jones Land LaSalle and Colliers.

Mr  Nicholl said the launch of the company in New Zealand and the roll-out of its Australian operations through Brock Commercial were the first steps in a five year plan to establish NAI Harcourts in the top tier of the Australian property sector.

“With the support of NAI Global we will significantly expand the existing commercial property businesses of Harcourts and Brock Commercial over the next few years,” Mr Nicholls said.

“Following the roll-out of the new brand, key systems and procedures, we’ll be building teams of commercial specialists in key metropolitan and regional centres and introducing industry-leading tools and training that will allow us to grow and operate at the highest level.

“Alongside this we plan to increase the range of services we offer sellers, buyers and tenants active in this important sector of the property market.

“There is clearly an appetite for another major player in this space and from the enquiries we’ve had from clients, potential clients and people interested in joining the team, we know the value of the intellectual property, brand recognition and international market access this new joint venture provides is extremely significant.”

NAI Harcourts, the exclusive New Zealand/Australia member of the international NAI Global network, is a joint venture company formed by NAI Global, one of the world’s largest commercial real estate service providers, Harcourts International Limited and Brock Real Estate, Harcourts’ existing joint venture partner in South Australia.

It is also the brand under which Harcourts commercial property and business broking services will now be provided on both sides of the Tasman.

NAI Harcourts CEO Chris Nicholl, Harcourts New Zealand COO Jo Clifford and Harcourts New Zealand CEO Hayden Duncan

NAI Harcourts CEO Chris Nicholl says launching the naiharcourts.co.nz website and commencing the introduction of new marketing material in New Zealand this week are the first steps in a five year plan to establish NAI Harcourts in the top tier of Australasia’s commercial property service providers.

“With the support of NAI Global we will significantly expand Harcourts’ existing commercial real estate business over the next few years,” says Mr Nicholl, who has more than 20 years’ experience in the commercial property industry including senior international roles with both Jones Lang LaSalle and Colliers.

“Our initial focus is on working with the existing team to roll-out the new brand and establish the key NAI Harcourts systems and processes – initially in New Zealand and then in Australia,” he says.

“Then we’ll look to expand NAI Harcourts’ operation by building teams of commercial specialists in key metropolitan and regional centres and introducing industry-leading tools and training that will allow us to grow and operate at the highest level.

“Alongside this we plan to increase the range of services we offer sellers, buyers and tenants in this important sector of the property market.”

As Mr Nicholl explains, a strong advantage NAI Harcourts can offer is access to buyers, listings and market knowledge from throughout NAI Global’s network of approximately 5000 commercial real estate professionals in more than 50 countries worldwide.

“This ability to connect businesses and investors from around the globe to opportunities here and vice versa is obviously something that will be of great benefit to our clients,” he says.

Harcourts New Zealand CEO Hayden Duncan says the Australasian commercial property market offers significant opportunities, generating an estimated $1 billion in fees at present, and it is exciting to be involved in the introduction of a new entrant.

“Harcourts is the largest real estate group in New Zealand and the fastest growing in Australia with a strong presence in the residential, rural and lifestyle property sectors, and this exciting initiative will ensure we can achieve equally good levels of success in the commercial sector of the market too,” Mr Duncan says.

“Through combining the quality and strength of the Harcourts organisation with NAI Global’s resources and their premier international commercial real estate network we have a powerful platform for NAI Harcourts to succeed and therefore some excellent opportunities for sales consultants and business owners interested in taking their career to the next level.

“Certainly the feedback we’ve had since the joint venture was announced earlier this year has been very positive. There is clearly an appetite for another major player in this space and from the enquiries we’ve had from both clients, potential clients and people interested in joining the team, we know the value of NAI Harcourts’ proposition has been recognised.”

ENDS

About NAI Global
NAI Global is the premier network of independent commercial real estate firms and one of the largest commercial real estate service providers worldwide. Based in Princeton, New Jersey and with 70 staff strategically positioned around the world, NAI Global manages a network of 5000 professionals and 325 offices in 55 countries throughout the world. NAI professionals work together with a global management team to help their clients strategically optimise their real estate assets, assisting NAI offices around the world to complete over $45 billion in transactions annually and manage over 200 million square feet of commercial space.

About Harcourts
Harcourts is the largest real estate group in New Zealand, the fastest growing in Australia and in total has more than 630 offices across nine countries. Currently in the process of entering the USA, Harcourts offers expertise in residential, commercial, rural and lifestyle property marketing and sales, business broking, urban projects and property management and in the last financial year exceed $20 billion in written sales. Harcourts is the exclusive Australasian and South Pacific representative of Leading Real Estate Companies of the World ™, the largest real estate network on earth consisting of 650 companies, 5,000 offices, and 150,000 sales consultants. Originally established in Wellington in 1888, Harcourts also has its own charitable foundation, The Harcourts Foundation, to provide support that helps, grows, and enriches our communities.

About Brock Real Estate
Brock Real Estate is the largest independently owned real estate company in South Australia. The company offers a full range of real estate services, including via its residential division Brock Harcourts, which has more than 40 offices across SA and the Northern Territory. Started with the aim of to providing the best one-stop-shop real estate company in the State, Brock Real Estate offers: commercial/industrial/ retail sales, leasing and asset management; corporate and advisory services; residential sales; project management; project marketing; land subdivisions and sales, rural sales, auctioneering and feasibility studies.

Mr Hair says the first step was the “transformation” from Colin Hair Realty Ltd to Tandem Realty Ltd, a new company he has established with Nick Langdon, a former award-winning real estate sales consultant who has spent the last two years in a senior role within the Harcourts New Zealand corporate team.

Tandem Realty Ltd then took up the opportunity of building on the success of its Whangaparaoa and Orewa offices by acquiring additional Harcourts franchise areas further North, taking over the operation of the existing Harcourts offices in Warkworth, Wellsford, Snells Beach and Mangawhai Heads as part of the deal.

Mr Hair, who had a successful career in banking before joining Harcourts more than 20 years ago, says he’s proud of the growth of his business, which now has a 70-strong team that “has the coast covered” is now also meeting the needs of sellers, buyers, landlords and tenants in the residential, commercial, rural and lifestyle sectors of the property market much further North too.

He says he is thrilled Mr Langdon has joined him as a Director of Tandem Realty Ltd and that together they have expanded their operation.

“Nick is a huge asset to the business,” says Mr Hair, who in addition to being a licensed agent is also an accredited auctioneer.  “Formerly in the building trade, he has been a successful real estate sales consultant and branch manager and more recently was a Business Development Manager within the Harcourts New Zealand team so he’s got extensive knowledge, skills and experience and also brings an abundance of energy to the team.”

Mr Langdon says he is delighted to have become a business owner within New Zealand’s largest real estate group and to be working with Mr Hair and the Tandem Realty Ltd team to grow Harcourts’ market share in their area.

“My particular focus is on increasing our auction business and on working with the team to ensure they deliver outstanding customer service.”

Mr Duncan has considerable experience in real estate, most recently at national management level within Bayleys, and has been appointed following a rigorous recruitment process involving many excellent candidates, Head of Real Estate Operations for Harcourts Australasia Bryan Thomson announced today.

Hayden Duncan

“I speak on behalf of the Board in saying we are thrilled to have been able to appoint such an outstanding real estate professional to this key role in our group, where he will work alongside Chief Operating Officer Jo Clifford, myself and our business owners and corporate team to continue to strengthen Harcourts’ dominance in New Zealand,” said Mr Thomson, the former CEO of Harcourts New Zealand.

As he explains, Mr Duncan forged his skills in sales, auctioneering and management with Turners before he joined the real estate industry.

Originally a commercial/industrial sales consultant with Bayleys, Mr Duncan has steadily progressed in the industry as an auctioneer, trainer, franchise owner/general manager and for the past few years has been Bayleys’ Chief Auctioneer and National Auction Manager, a role which has seen him on that group’s senior management team.

“In addition to his real estate knowledge and skills, Hayden has exceptional communication and presentation skills, a passion for people and for our industry, a considerable network, an established national profile and experience with the media, all of which are keys to success in this important leadership role within Harcourts,” Mr Thomson says.

“A positive and energetic real estate professional with a strong auction-focus and the Auckland market and commercial real estate sector success we were looking for to help drive Harcourts’ growth in these areas, Hayden will be a great addition to the Harcourts New Zealand team.”

Mr Duncan says he is honoured to have been appointed as the new CEO of Harcourts New Zealand.

“It’s a really exciting step in my career, and one I’m very honoured to have had the opportunity to take within a group that is such a force in New Zealand and increasingly in the real estate industry worldwide,” he says.

Mr Duncan says the strength of the Harcourts group and its brand, systems, people and culture were all factors that attracted him to join the company.

“Harcourts has a proud history locally and is increasingly making its mark internationally and I’m absolutely delighted to be able to get onboard and to help Harcourts’ achieve even greater success in New Zealand.”

Mr Duncan, who will be based in Harcourts’ Auckland Regional Office in Newmarket, will commence his new role as CEO of Harcourts New Zealand on Monday 14 June.

ENDS

About Harcourts: Harcourts, established in Wellington in 1888, is the largest real estate group in New Zealand, the fastest growing in Australia and in total has more than 630 offices across nine countries. Harcourts is also the exclusive Australasian and South Pacific representative of Leading Real Estate Companies of the World ™ which with 650 companies, 5000 offices, and 150,000 sales consultants is the largest real estate network in the world.  In addition Harcourts’ joint venture business NAI Harcourts is the Australia/New Zealand member of NAI Global, the premier network of independent commercial real estate firms and one of the largest groups of commercial real estate service providers worldwide.

It is the second consecutive year and the fourth time since 2004 that the Invercargill-based real estate professional has been named the top commercial specialist in New Zealand’s largest real estate group.                            

David McKillop, No. 1 Commercial Sales Consultant in Harcourts New Zealand for second consecutive year.

Mr McKillop, who is based in the Invercargill office of successful  Harcourts franchise W. Thompson & Co. Ltd., won the top honour ahead of Paul Sanford from Rotorua and Jonathon Drumm from Christchurch City Business Brokers who were second and third respectively.

The trio’s achievements were announced at the Harcourts New Zealand National Awards dinner in Christchurch on Wednesday night, a black-tie event held at the end of the group’s annual conference and attended by around 800 people who together honoured the top offices and individuals in Harcourts New Zealand.

Mr McKillop began his career in real estate as a school leaver more than 30 years ago.

He attributes his continued success selling and leasing commercial property to the knowledge and experience he has gained during his lengthy career coupled with his responsiveness to both his clients and the changing market demands.

“Having a very loyal client base which means I benefit from a lot of repeat business is also key to my success, along with backing of the Harcourts brand and the excellent tools and systems available to our group,” he says.

Head of Real Estate Operations for Harcourts Australasia Bryan Thomson says Mr McKillop’s success is a credit to him and particularly notable given the relatively small market he works within.

“David has consistently been amongst Harcourts’ top commercial specialists since he joined our group 13 years ago.  His success is a testament to his determination and the hard work he puts in on his clients’ behalf, which results in him dominating the commercial sector of the Southland market.”

Ms Aitken, who was earlier this month named Number One Sales Consultant in Harcourts’ Christchurch region for an unprecedented 11^th year in a row, is based in the Christchurch City office of successful Harcourts franchise Grenadier Real Estate Limited and has been named number one in New Zealand an impressive six times in her 19 year career to date.

Harcourts New Zealand No. 1 Alison Aitken with Harcourts International Managing Director Mike Green, left, and Head of Real Estate Operations for Harcourts Australasia Bryan Thomson.

Last night at Harcourts New Zealand’s National Awards dinner in Christchurch she was named Number One Sales Consultant for 2009/10 out of more than 1800 Harcourts Sales Consultants, also picked up the award for Top Auction/Tender Lister and was named second internationally in Harcourts, which now operates in nine countries and includes more than 4000 sales consultants.

New Plymouth’s Glenn Green and North Shore realtor Matty Ma were named second and third respectively in New Zealand and third and fourth internationally.

Other national award-winners announced last night were: Invercargill realtor David McKillop, who was named Top Commercial Sales Consultant for 2009/10; Hamilton-based real estate identity Shaun Cosgrave who was named Top Rural Sales Consultant and Harcourts Paremata’s Andy Cooling, who took out the award for New Zealand Rising Star of 2009/10.

Ms Aitken has won numerous regional, national and international awards since she started her career in real estate in 1991, originally as a PA.

She says she is proud to have been named Number One in New Zealand for the sixth time and to have secured a fantastic international ranking again as well.

“It means as much to me now as did at the start,” she says, attributing her achievements to her skills, knowledge and experience in real estate along with the tools, systems and support she has.

“Last year was an interesting and challenging year in terms of the real estate market and a huge year for me personally as I got married to my long-term partner Harcourts auctioneer Phil McGoldrick,” she says. 

“I simply could not have maintained the customer service and achieved this level of success I did without my fantastic team and our systems, plus the excellent tools and technology available through Harcourts.”

Head of Real Estate Operations for Harcourts Australasia Bryan Thomson described Ms Aitken’s track record and continuing success as both “outstanding and inspirational”.

“The Christchurch market is highly competitive but Alison is innovative, highly-motivated and totally committed to achieving success for her clients, including through ensuring she uses the strategies, tools and support that help her to deliver superb customer service.

“She has consistently proven to be one of the top performers in the country, with the example she sets inspiring others and setting a standard for excellence in the industry.”

Harcourts New Zealand Top 20 for 2009/10 is as follows:

1. Alison Aitken,  Christchurch City (No.2 internationally)
2. Glenn Green, Bell Block (No.3 internationally)
3. Matty Ma, Albany (No.4 internationally)
4. Shaun Cosgrave, Hamilton Glenview (No.5 internationally)
5. Cameron Bailey, Papanui (No.6 internationally)
6. Mary Turnbull, Papanui (No.7 internationally)
7. Sue Roberts, Belfast (No.14 internationally)
8. Alison Aldridge, Beckenham (No.15 internationally)
9. Marianne Tavenier, Paraparaumu (No.16 internationally)
10. Karl Vermeulen, Howick
11. Sue Hooper, Tauranga Cherrywood
12. Jenni Rolton, Merivale
13. Trevor Hyland, Whangaparaoa
14. Tony Sands, Ashburton
15. Glenice Taylor, Devonport
16. David Nightingale, St Heliers
17. Marty Ritchie, Whitby
18. Tony Kerapa, Hamilton Glenview
19. Sue Hall, Hamilton Central City
20. David Drazek, Milford