Welcoming Liam Togia

It is with great pleasure that we welcome Liam Togia to our Hamilton office as a Property Consultant.

Liam brings a dynamic blend of technical proficiency and a solid background in property law, having worked for the past 2 years as a Property Consultant primarily dealing in disposals of Crown property.

Liam’s experience includes the acquisition of land pursuant to the Public Works Act 1981, acquisition and transfer under the Urban Development Act 2020, assessing sensitivity of land pursuant to the Overseas Investment Act 2005, and the review of various legal contracts and documents.

In addition to this, Liam has a Bachelor of Law and has 7 years Post-Qualification Experience specialising in Commercial and Property Law.

Amy Watson moving to Align’s new office in Sydney

We are pleased to announce that Amy Watson is moving to our new office in Sydney as a Project Manager. We look forward to Amy’s progress in this exciting venture!

Amy has worked for government organisations and private enterprises. She started as an Intelligence Analyst in the New Zealand Defence Force (2013-2015) and then worked as a Special Projects Manager for World TV Limited (2015-2016). She was then employed as a Team Administrator and then as a Project Coordinator by the Ministry of Health (2017-2019). Before coming to Align, Amy worked as a Project Coordinator for Rakau O Te Ora.

Amy holds a Bachelor of Science with a double major in Statistics and Psychology from the University of Auckland (2012). She has also completed the PRINCE2 Foundation and Practitioner courses.

Graham Hall Joins Align

We are very happy to announce that Graham Hall has joined Align as the Hawke’s Bay Property Manager.

Graham is a highly experienced property consultant and brings a wealth of knowledge and a track record of success. In his previous role as a Group Manager, Graham successfully led a team of 30 professionals in the property field. He holds 30+ years of national and international property experience, including property acquisition and disposal, land acquisition, legalisation, and disposal for the Crown; project management; real estate; built asset & facilities management; property capital investment; stakeholder engagement; senior management; customer service; and business strategy & change management experience.

Graham holds a Master of Business Administration (2021) and is an REAA Licensed Real Estate Salesperson (2021).

Introducing Liz Jones

We welcome Liz Jones to our Hamilton Office as a Senior Property Consultant.

Liz is an experienced property professional with 10 years of experience at QV as a Senior Consultant and Registered Valuer. She has a deep understanding of property valuation and is adept at conducting mediations, negotiations, and managing Land Valuation Tribunal claims. Her experience includes co-managing the Auckland rating team; undertaking valuations for properties having undergone construction of some degree (e.g. property subdivisions, building alterations, developments, and new builds) for various councils; asset valuations; managing direct valuation queries from individual ratepayers and queries; leading the quarterly asset rental valuation programme for Kāinga Ora; supporting councils through various mediation with ratepayers by providing technical expertise on the disputed valuations under the Land Valuation Tribunal process; and EQC valuations (land valuations for flood damage and insurance claims). In addition to her technical expertise, Liz has experience in people management and finds fulfilment in motivating and guiding teams towards achieving common goals.

Liz is a Registered Property Valuer, a Member of the New Zealand Institute of Valuers (MPINZ); and she holds a Bachelor of Business Studies majoring in Valuation and Property Management (2011).

Welcome to Caitlin Burns

We are pleased to announce that Caitlin Burns has joined our Auckland office as a Property Consultant.

Caitlin worked as a Construction Coordinator for a residential building company in Franklin starting in 2018. During this time, she was responsible for project scheduling and managing the consenting, code of compliance, job inspection and property processes. She was also responsible for procurement, contractor progress monitoring and client communications. In addition to her construction takes, Caitlin was involved in sales.

Caitlin takes great pride in meeting project deadlines and is a competent problem solver in the onsite construction environment. She is adept at maintaining relationships with colleagues and contractors and ensuring clients are comfortable throughout the construction and building process.

Caitlin is an advanced user of construction management software packages, including Co-construct, Constructor and Excel.

Cate Dwyer joins Align

With great pleasure, we welcome Cate Dwyer to our Hamilton office as a Property Consultant.

Cate has a strong track record in the property, construction and legal sectors. Before joining Align, she was responsible for the facilities compliance of an extensive Government-owned property portfolio. She has held property management, legal and real estate roles involving onboarding housing stock (for a 600+ property portfolio), new-build homes, investment properties, rental services, Healthy Homes Standards compliance, the drafting of deeds, residential tenancy agreements, stakeholder engagement, property inspections, law and contractor management.

Cate has an impressive list of qualifications. She holds a Bachelor of Laws (University of Waikato, 2019), Professional Legal Studies (NZ College of Law, 2020), a REIV (Australia, 2015) Certificate IV in Property Services, a APTI (Australia, 2007) Certificate III in Business Administration and a REIV (Australia, 2009) Certificate – Agent Representative. She is currently completing a Diploma in Conveyancing (Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology).

Align welcomes Carley Thorderson

We are very happy to announce that Carley Thorderson has joined our Hamilton office as a Property Consultant.

Carley is a multi-talented professional, having trained and worked in the property and planning sectors. Before Carley arrived in New Zealand from the USA, she worked as Development Consultant (Atlanta, Georgia). Before this, she was a Planning Associate (2018, Salt Lake City, Utah) and a Housing Development Intern (2020, Atlanta, Georgia). She started her career in New Zealand with the Hamilton City Council in the Planning and Compliance section, where she was responsible for monitoring designations and land use consents under the district plan and Resource Management Act. Her work also involved managing multi-disciplinary compliance, resolving breaches, remediation and dealing with complaints.

Carley holds experience in preparing market reports for private & public real estate developers and researching and analysing potential developments. Her work has involved research and fieldwork across the USA for multiple land uses, including multi-family, retail, office, hospitality, and mixed-use, while interacting with developers, brokers, architects, city planners, local municipalities/ politicians, property managers and construction companies.

Carley holds a Master of Real Estate Development from the Georgia Institute of Technology and a Bachelor of Science (Geography – Urban & Regional Planning) from Brigham Young University (Provo, Utah).

Introducing Maylene Barrett

We are delighted that Maylene Barrett has joined our Auckland office as a Principal Planning Consultant.

Maylene is a highly competent urban planner and project manager with over 18 years of experience and a working knowledge of the complexities of all types of infrastructure delivery. She has been involved in delivering recreation, electricity and energy, railways, road and waste management infrastructure in New Zealand and the United Kingdom. She has led the planning/design and site selection workstream for multiple projects, worked with the developers to acquire and deliver new open space networks for Auckland, and provided expert evidence at the Board of Inquiry for the Northern Corridor motorway improvement project.

Maylene has extensive experience working with the private sector and central government departments in New Zealand and overseas. She has worked with representatives on major infrastructure projects delivered by Waka Kotahi, Auckland Transport, Kainga Ora, Watercare, KiwiRail, and Counties Energy. She also has particular experience in acquisitions involving site selection, multicriteria analysis and assessment against relevant policies to inform recommendations to decision-makers for the acquisition of land or easements for infrastructure.

Maylene has a Master of Planning Practice, a Bachelor of Business in Environmental Economics and Sustainability, and a Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences. Maylene also holds Prince2 and PMP project management qualifications. She has experience providing expert evidence at Board of Inquiry processes and private plan change hearings. Maylene has a good understanding of local government and project governance processes: risk management and issue resolution.

Welcome Charmaine Barrett

It is with great pleasure we announce that Charmaine Barrett has joined our Wellington Office as an Executive Assistant.

Charmaine has performed various roles over her career, including as a Secretary at Treasury and liaison with the Minister of Finance’s office. These roles have included committee and publication management, meeting management, diary and e-mail management, handling of confidential documentation, performance agreements and assessments, planning and organising retreats and travel. She has also performed property management, accounts, customer service, office management, events coordination, sales, communications and marketing tasks.

Charmaine has completed certifications and training in meeting management, motivation and leadership, project management, speed reading, effective working relationships and personal efficiency.

Yvette Stokman joins Align

We are very happy that Yvette Stokman has joined our Auckland Office as the Business Support representative.

Yvette applies her combined skills, strengths, and experience to achieve exceptional results and positive outcomes. Yvette has performed a variety of roles in many sectors over her career. These roles have involved property management, accounts, customer service, office management, events coordination, administration, sales, communications and marketing.

Yvette holds certifications in real estate, financial management, payroll, accounting, leadership, performance management, business process, communications, marketing, and law.

We welcome Chantelle Steyl

We are pleased to announce that Chantelle Steyl has joined our Auckland Office as a Senior Property Consultant. Chantelle is a dedicated and driven person with extensive experience in both the property and planning sectors.

She has worked in the fields of property acquisition and advisory, development economics and planning for consultancies, Vodafone and, more recently, Auckland Transport. Her property experience includes shared pathways for cycling, busways, residential, infrastructure, roading, fibre and telecommunications and retail. She is skilled in property acquisitions, negotiation, land development, project management, economic analysis, consenting, and policy development.

Chantelle holds a Bachelor of Arts and Science in Urban and Rural Planning from North-West University: Potchefstroom (2008) and has a sound knowledge of the Public Works Act (1981).

We welcome Chris Cochrane to Align

Align welcomes Chris Cochrane to our Christchurch office as the Area Manager of Property. Chris is a highly motivated individual who enjoys negotiating, establishing good client working relationships and relating to people of all ages and backgrounds.

Chris has worked in the property sector since 2006, starting as a valuer and property manager before becoming an Accredited Crown Property Agent in 2012. Since then, Chris has worked for consultancies and Government organisations, including Waka Kotahi New Zealand Transport Agency and Kainga Ora, specialising in acquisitions, disposals, and survey and legalisation.

Chris holds LINZ accreditation in Crown disposals and acquisitions under the Public Works Act 1981. He also holds a Bachelor of Commerce in Valuation and Property Management from Lincoln University (2005) and a health and safety qualification. He previously held a Real Estate Salesperson Certificate from 2012 – 2022.

Chris enjoys running, golf, Spanish, travelling and reading.

Introducing Hanno van Helsdingen

We are pleased to announce that Hanno van Helsdingen has joined our Wellington office as a Planning Consultant. He has a wealth of experience in the urban planning and property development sectors and is driven to complete projects successfully.

Hanno began his career in 1996 as a planner. Since then, he has worked on planning and property development projects as a consultant, lecturer, construction manager, and project manager in New Zealand and South Africa. He has experience in large-scale planning applications, retail developments, subdivisions, residential developments, affordable housing projects and neighbourhood development plans. During his time in New Zealand, he has successfully finished various consent applications involving land use, multi-units, earthworks and subdivisions. He has also processed resource consent applications for councils. Hanno has worked with the Resource Management Act (1991) for three years.

Hanno holds a Bachelor of Town and Regional Planning from the University of Pretoria (1997). In 2021, he won a NZPI competition where he designed a hypothetical alternative layout for Wellington City. Prior to this, he won a competition for the design and strategic framework of a railway corridor in Hatfield, Gauteng, South Africa.

Hanno is an accomplished rugby coach. He received World Rugby Level 2 certification in coaching and has nine years of coaching experience. He has successfully coached schoolboy and representative rugby teams in New Zealand and South Africa. In 2018 he coached the U13 South African VCB side, which toured Ireland.

Align welcomes Celeste Patutama

We are delighted that Celeste Patutama has joined our Auckland office as a Property Consultant. Celeste is a natural leader and a rising star among New Zealand’s young property professionals. We are very proud that she is a finalist for the PINZ Future Leader Award for 2023.

Celeste specialises in property development, Māori land issues, property valuation, building construction and property management. She is skilled in property acquisitions, relationship management, project management and stakeholder engagement. Celeste began her working career in 2018 and, since then, has worked for WSP (Property Consultant), the Ministry of Education (Capital Works Intern) and the University of Auckland (Tutor/Teaching Assistant). She also has experience in consulting with Māori landowners affected by the Public Works Act (1981).

Celeste holds a Bachelor of Property from the University of Auckland (2021). She is a Member of the Property Institute of New Zealand and a recipient of multiple awards and honours, including the Beta Gamma Sigma Lifetime Member – International Business Honour Society, Whare Ākina Scholarship, First in Course award in Property 342 – Property Development, TupuToa Internship Programme, JJ Management Gold Pin for excellent customer service, and the Lois Dalley Trust Scholarship.

Celeste is of Ngāti Awa, Te Arawa, Cook Island, Niuean and Italian descent. She is an accomplished sportsperson and was a Netball Youth World Cup participant for the Cook Islands and a member of the Cook Islands U21 National Netball Team. She is also an IPAC Council – Future Leader observer and has held [volunteer] positions on several cultural and sporting committees and advisory groups.

Align welcomes Marion Howard-Brumby

Align welcomes with pleasure Marion Howard-Brumby to our Wellington office as a Property Consultant.

Marion has worked in the property sector since 2002 and started her career as a Property Management Assistant and then as a Rating Valuer at Quotable Value while completing university. Following this, she worked for two years in the UK valuing council housing stock under the Thatcher ‘Right to Buy’ scheme and actioning appeals to the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) on behalf of commercial and industrial property owners. For the past 16 years, she has worked for Quotable Value in Wellington as a Property Consultant and Valuer, keeping the District Valuation Roll up to date by valuing subdivisions, building consents and rating valuation objections for residential, commercial and industrial property. During this time, Marion had the opportunity to review and value a wide range of properties, including Peter Jackson’s Park Road Post Production studios, the former residence of Norman Kirk in Seatoun, the new Aotea College in Porirua, corner dairies, reservoirs, industrial warehouses, hotels, and almost everything in between.

Marion holds a Bachelor of Business Studies, majoring in Property Valuation and Management, from Massey University (2001). She is a Member of the Property Institute of New Zealand.

Marion is active in the community locally and around the world. She spent a year in Zambia as a Town and Travel manager with ex-pat missionaries, medical organisations and churches. During this time, Marion fell in love with Africa and its people and has been back since to visit the people she supported. She has three children and enjoys watching them play basketball, netball, rugby and cricket. Marion enjoys Zumba, reading, catching up with friends, community-focused opportunities, occasional orienteering, a spot of op shopping and looking after her angora/jersey cross ‘house rabbit’.

We congratulate Marion on joining Align and look forward to working with her.

Introducing Fenella Fischer

With great pleasure, we welcome Fenella Fischer to the team at Align. She joins us as the Area Property Manager in our Auckland office.

Fenella holds over ten years of property and valuation experience and has a diverse knowledge of the property industry in New Zealand and overseas. She is an excellent communicator and networker committed to providing client-focused and commercial solutions. She is also self-motivated, enjoys meeting deadlines and is very results orientated.

Fenella is extensively experienced in property valuation, property management, property administration and property accounting. She was recently the Acquisition Team Leader at Auckland Transport and, before that, a Property Specialist. Before her time at Auckland Transport, she worked as a Valuer for Property InDepth, Knight Frank Valuations and Morley and Associates. She has also worked in property management (Housing New Zealand Corporation, Auckland Property Management, McDonald’s System NZ Limited), accounting (City and West End Development, UK), and as a project surveyor (Southwark Council, UK).

Fenella holds a Bachelor of Business Studies majoring in Property Valuation and Management from Massey University (1993). She is a registered Valuer (2011) and a Member of the Property Institute of New Zealand.

We congratulate Fenella on joining Align and look forward to collaborating with her.

What Great Listeners Actually Do

Chances are you think you’re a good listener. People’s appraisal of their listening ability is much like their assessment of their driving skills, in that the great bulk of adults think they’re above average.

In our experience, most people think good listening comes down to doing three things:

  • Not talking when others are speaking
  • Letting others know you’re listening through facial expressions and verbal sounds (“Mmm-hmm”)
  • Being able to repeat what others have said, practically word-for-word

In fact, much management advice on listening suggests doing these very things – encouraging listeners to remain quiet, nod and “mm-hmm” encouragingly, and then repeat back to the talker something like, “So, let me make sure I understand. What you’re saying is…” However, recent research that we conducted suggests that these behaviors fall far short of describing good listening skills.

See the article here.

Source: Harvard Business Review, Jack Zenger and Joseph Folkman, 14 July 2016

Staying Safe with COVID

We are making sure our business runs seamlessly through Omicron, so yours can too. Our business continuity plan has eight key policies.

Find out more about these on our website here or download our brochure here.

Critics warn Lake Onslow power scheme’s $4b price tag may balloon

Critics of the proposed Lake Onslow pumped hydro scheme are talking up its costs and warning of a possible blow-out to its speculated $4 billion price tag, even before a decision is made on whether to proceed with the project. But a dam safety expert says the detailed engineering investigations planned by the Government should reduce the risk of any surprises if the verdict comes back positive. Dan Forster, chairman of the New Zealand Society on Large Dams, says the cost of the potential project is likely to be highly dependent on the outcome of geological investigations now underway. A big factor would be whether local materials could be used to build the hydro schemes’ dams, or whether clay and rock would need to be trucked in. The Lake Onslow scheme would serve as a giant battery to help protect against hydro shortages during drought years and to, in effect, store highly-variable wind and solar generation for when it was needed. Enough water could be pumped uphill into its reservoir in a natural schist rock basin high in Central Otago to provide power equivalent to somewhere between five and 15 weeks’ worth of the entire country’s electricity demand, depending on its configuration… It will produce up to 2000MW when drawing down power, but is now expected to cost more than A$5b (NZ$5.4b) and would hold 350 gigawatt-hours of power, which would be less than a tenth of the expected power storage of Lake Onslow… The Government doesn’t expect to be in a position to make a final call on whether to press ahead with a detailed business case for the project until December… ”

See the article here.

Source: Stuff, Tom Pullar-Strecker 05:00, Feb 20 2022

Why You Shouldn’t Put Light Rail in Tunnels

‘Emergency’ fast-track resource consent system could become permanent

“A fast-track resource management consent process could become a permanent legislative feature, says environment minister David Parker… A law was passed in 2020 to shorten timeframes and cut out many of the consultation and appeal processes in the Resource Management Act (RMA)… It was presented as an emergency measure to inject life into the economy when it was feared covid and the associated lockdown restrictions would strangle activity. As a result, it had a sunset clause… Now, minister Parker has indicated the fast-track could become a permanent feature of the resource management system after the government completes reform of the RMA… ‘Consideration will be given to whether some form of the fast-track system should be carried forward into the new system. If it is, there needs to be a person in authority taking the somewhat subjective decision of what projects ought – and ought not – to be able to use the fast-track process. “Currently those screening decisions are taken by the minister for the environment, but that may not be practical for the future, and other ideas are welcomed,’ Parker said… The law change had the support of National, but its MPs said it showed the flaws in the RMA that the minister could short-circuit the process and still believe he could retain the integrity of the resource and environmental management protections… The extension of the fast-track law last year was only opposed by the Greens in Parliament, but almost all the submitters on the law change were opposed. Among the concerns is that resource management consents and planning are meant to involve the communities they have an impact on and the process reduces that. There are also worries that it aggravates one of the problems with the RMA – the inability of the consent process to consider cumulative impacts… Most of the applications which have been placed on the fast-track process have been approved without too much public controversy…”

See the article here.

Source: BusinessDesk, Ian Llewellyn, Mon, 07 Feb 2022 [Paid content]

The Environment Select Committee (Select Committee) has released its Report on the Exposure Draft of the Natural and Built Environments Bill (Bill).

The Environment Select Committee (Select Committee) has released its Report on the Exposure Draft of the Natural and Built Environments Bill (Bill). After considering more than 3,000 public submissions, the Select Committee has provided 37 recommendations to modify the Exposure Draft.

See the report.