Media Release 24 November 2016

Provoke, Inform, Inspire - Residential Summit to address housing issues

Property Council New Zealand will be addressing the challenges facing the housing sector in the upcoming Residential Summit in Auckland on 30 November.

The summit theme, Provoke, Inform, Inspire includes key industry speakers to present on the critical challenges faced by the residential property industry:

· • Hon Dr Nick Smith, Minister for Building and Housing

· • Andrew Little, Leader of the Labour Party

· • Kirk Hope, Chief Executive BusinessNZ

· • Stephen Selwood, Chief Executive Infrastructure New Zealand

· • Gareth Kiernan, Chief Forecaster, Infometrics Limited

· • Greg Vann, Director, Buckley Vann Planning + Development

· • Chris Aiken, Chief Executive , Hobsonville Land Company

· • James Hurman, Founder and Principal of the innovation consultancy, Previously Unavailable

The summit will also feature an expert power panel:

· • Anthony Leighs, Managing Director, Leighs Construction Limited

· • Patrick Dougherty, General Manager, Housing New Zealand Corporation

· • Neil Donnelly, General Manager for Resource Management, Todd Property

· • Patrick Brockie, Chair, Infrastructure New Zealand

According to Property Council New Zealand Chief Executive, Connal Townsend the Residential Summit comes at a critical time in the New Zealand residential housing industry.

“Society is changing fast and people want affordable, sustainable housing. Unfortunately, over the years we have seen either inertia, poorly developed or tepid policy changes that are not having the desired outcomes of building more housing, or adequately providing for a growing population.

“As an industry, we need to think about how we facilitate this.”

Mr Townsend stresses that a crucial part of addressing many of the issues relies on our own innovation and ingenuity.

“We firmly believe that through innovation we can deliver quality housing that reflects the growing demand and changing demographic patterns of our cities.

“Fundamental to this is understanding that cities exist because of people and that people need not just a house but a home,” says Mr Townsend.

The Residential Development Council, which falls under the Property Council banner, will also be launching a new Residential Manifesto at the Summit, outlining the road map and vision for residential property development in New Zealand.

“The Manifesto aims to provide thought leadership, guidance, and a way forward,” says Martin Udale, Interim Chairman of the Residential Development Council.

“We need to be looking at how we can finance and construct housing on a much bigger scale whilst improving quality and making it affordable for the average New Zealander.

“To do this we must challenge and adapt orthodox planning, development, construction and funding methods. We need to review how and where we procure building materials and we need a more efficient and effective supply chain.

“The Residential Summit and Manifesto are part of a process we all must undergo to begin to critically assess how we are building houses and infrastructure and to determine better practices and processes that will enable what we collectively seek to achieve,” says Mr Udale.

ENDS/.

About Property Council New Zealand

Property Council is a member-led, not-for-profit organisation offering a collective voice for the commercial property industry. Our members include owners, investors, managers, and developers of office, retail, industrial and residential properties, central and local government agencies and other property professionals. Our branches throughout the country represent some of the largest commercial property portfolios in Auckland, Waikato, Bay of Plenty, Wellington, Hawkes Bay and the South Island and Otago region, the value of which exceeds billions. We have an interest in all aspects of the built environment, and promote sound policies and requirements that benefit New Zealand as a whole.

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