Business North November 2021

| 53 Rockhopper: UDINZ End-to-end service basis for success T Richard Loader Rockhopper’s services span the entire property cycle from site selection, project planning, consenting, financing and funding and construction, along with the final sell-down and divestment of the completed project. T hought leadership, research and staying abreast of the changes impacting Auck- land’s spiralling property market have been the foundation of success for Auckland based property consultancy specialist Rock- hopper. Founded in 2014 by a group of property specialists with skills across planning, urban design, architecture, construction, legal and entrepreneurship as well as investment, Rockhopper provides informed consultancy services to property developers and investors. Managing Director Kester Ko says because of massive changes in the market driven by the Auckland Unitary Plan Rockhopper’s founders saw an opportunity to develop a high quality residential offering to the commu- nity at a lower cost by combining knowledge, contacts and passion. “Initially we focused on individual homes but over the years Rockhopper has gained a broader range of projects, moving from just residential to bigger commercial retail and hotel projects. “Residential remains our primary focus at this stage and with the significant increase in housing density we have embraced town-houses, terrace houses and apart- ments.” Providing an end-to-end service for inves- tors and developers of property, Rockhop- per’s services span the property cycle from site selection, project planning, consenting, financing and funding and construction, along with the final sell-down and divestment of the completed project. “Many people buy a piece of land and say they are a developer. In many ways they are but there’s a lot of complexity in developing a project successfully, particularly with on-going changes to legislation. That’s where we come in. We take a fee and enter into a partnership with the client, working with the investor or developer to help their project succeed.” Kester says that in many ways Rockhopper is similar to a construction project manager, but where as the project manager’s scope is focused on the key deliverable, Rockhopper’s end-to-end service goes well beyond that horizon. “Development management means we get involved in site acquisition, as well as financing, funding and contract negotiation, construction and the sell down process. “We run the models that inform the devel- oper that on this piece of land they could build an apartment building, but actually the best return on investment might be to build seven terrace buildings. And we can provide the research and data to support it.” While Rockhopper is managing multiple developments at anyone time, a recently completed boutique residential housing devel- opment at Mellons Bay, is a shining example of Rockhopper’s design ethos, quality product and thoughtful land use. Completed at the end of last year and known as Adelie Bay, the project focused on providing five two-storey, high-quality design and specification, standalone homes near Howick Village centre, each with a Homestar 6 rating. “I was originally trained and practiced in architecture and urban design so I want to en- sure that all the projects that we are involved in have a high design ethos, as well as deliver- ing positive outcomes for the investors.” An inaugural member of Urban Devel- opment Institute of New Zealand (UDINZ) Rockhopper provides the organisation with a weekly property update collated from the government sector and press releases about issues impacting on the property market. Reflecting on the impact of increased inter- est rates, Kester says while they may serve to curb investors a bit more, lockdowns and supply chain issues over the last two years have significantly impeded badly needed development. “We’re nowhere near what we were build- ing in 2019. At the same time we have the increase in population, people are still getting married, still having kids, the kids are still DEVELOPMENT growing up, people are returning from over- seas and old houses are still getting older. “We still need more houses and there’s still a fundamental issue around supply and demand. I can’t really see how property prices will go down.” “Development management means we get involved in site acquisition, as well as financing, funding and contract negotiation, construction and the sell down process.” ENGINEERING EXCELLENCE AROUND NEW ZEALAND • STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING • CIVIL ENGINEERING AND LAND DEVELOPMENT • FIRE ENGINEERING CONSULTING CIVIL & STRUCTURAL ENGINEERS P 09 486 4542 E takapuna@aireys.co.nz W www.aireys.co.nz 021 818 327 We Deliver Results www.structuresforgood.co.nz Structural Engineers Multi-Residential Commercial Industrial