Dated decor at one of New Zealand’s most prominent residences has been stripped out ready for a Christmas unveiling.
A new outdoor pool, a new on-site wastewater treatment plant, a new gym and powder room upgrades are just some of the multimillion-dollar renovations consented at one of New Zealand’s most valuable homes.
Members of the billionaire Mowbray family, of the successful global Zuru toy business, had seven separate building consents approved by the Auckland Council from late 2021 and throughout 2022, much of those for restricted building work.
The distinctive house was previously labelled the Chrisco Mansion, after its developer Richard Bradley’s British Christmas business. It then became the Dotcom mansion when Kim Dotcom rented it with wife Mona and their children, and was the centre of an armed raid in which the internet entrepreneur was arrested in 2012.
During the raid, he reportedly used a “panic room”, built by Bradley, which he said in 2012 “was only ever used to hide Christmas presents from his children”.
From 2016 when siblings Nick, Anna and Mat bought the home, it became the Mowbray Mansion. The home has become known for its massive parties hosted by Nick Mowbray and partner Jaimee Lupton. Past themes have included The Great Gatsby, a Burning Man festival and an Out of This World bash, which attracted A-Listers and monied folk dressed as aliens and other creatures.
The owners are now listed as brothers Mat and Nick Mowbray, along with Lewislegal Trustees 2016.
The property is getting the renovation of a lifetime, stripping out much of the interior of the $39.3 million place, with extensive changes being made to the grounds and how it functions.
The seven consents include permission for a new fit-out of the 12-bedroom Coatesville hideaway and has been going on for more than a year, the Herald on Sunday understands.
Interior photos the Herald published when the property was advertised for sale in 2016 show the dated decor of the pitched-roof house, with its faux British country theme including arch-shaped interior doorways, mirrored walls, powder rooms with chrome fittings, walls of glass shelving, swathes of white carpet and pink drapes. Some of that is understood to have been changed since 2016 but the latest renovations are extensive.
Camelot met Barbie when it came to lighting fixtures - ornate brass structures dangled in one vast bedroom featured in pictures seven years ago, while one dressing room’s centrepiece was a two-tiered feathered lolly-pink chandelier.
Bedrooms sported church-style arched window frames.
But the names of consultants listed indicate dated features are being replaced with an edgier, often darker and more minimalist style, if the work of their architectural designers is anything to go by.
Architectural work has been completed by a number of different businesses but with a lean towards young, cutting-edge names.
Jason Li of Rosedale’s Portal Studios, a big proponent of artificial intelligence, has his name on the application for a new helipad/double-car garage/bathroom building, which is understood not to have been developed.
Knight Associates’ Liam McGarry is listed in the consent for changes to interior areas. Rufus Knight also designed pared-back dark moody renovations with neon strip lighting to New Zealand’s largest gym, Les Mills Auckland City on Victoria St. The same business lists Josh Emett’s Onslow restaurant and The International above that as part of their interior design work.
In 2019, Knight told the Herald his brief at Les Mills was to create functional areas but he went much further, bringing drama to what is often utilitarian.
A big emphasis has gone on al-fresco entertaining with a new outdoor kitchen.
Most of the applications are for restricted building work. A council spokesperson said the property files were so huge, it took one resource consent staffer many hours to answer the Herald on Sunday’s questions about the changes consented.
“Essentially, there are seven live consents for this property, each of which contains around 600 or so pages of documents,” a council spokesperson explained.
Helicopter rights already exist at the property but a 2021 application for a new helipad and heliport are not understood to have gone ahead, despite consent being sought.
Back when it was being advertised for sale in 2016, the Herald reported the balustrades were from France, the walk-in wardrobe from Rome, the roof tiles and stone from China and India, and the chandeliers and floor tiles from Italy.
“The four-level mansion was designed by renowned architectural designer Greg Noble and masterfully constructed over four years, becoming notable as one of the country’s grandest and most expensive property builds of its time,” said advertising for the home, boasting nine bathrooms.
Christina Tang of Barfoot & Thompson told then how the 22.6ha included a vineyard, lake, boat house, manicured parkland and sculptures.
“This one-of-a-kind home is grand in every way, from its commanding entrance to its most private living spaces, while the grounds provide for never-ending views, activities and considerable future development potential,” the 2016 ads said.
An expansive hedged maze, an Olympic-sized swimming pool, an indoor heated lap pool and giant corrugated-iron giraffes came with the house.
The council valued the land at $28.7m in 2021 and the house at $10.5m.
Nick Mowbray and partner Jaimee Lupton were asked for comment this week but declined.
1. December 16, 2021, Mat Mowbray: “Application for a new helipad and heliport with a double-car garage and WC [toilet]”. This has not gone ahead.
2. February 23, 2022, Nick Mowbray: “New external kitchen installed. New plumbing and extraction to be installed. Hebel panel arches to be filled into.”
3. March 9, 2022, Nick Mowbray: “Renovations to the existing two-storey dwelling. The scope is limited to introducing new plumbing fixtures on the ground floor to the office, billiards room, office powder room, kitchen powder room and BOH [back of house] kitchen.”
4. April 1, 2022, Nick Mowbray: “Existing outdoor pool to be replaced with new outdoor pool of roughly the same size. Existing deck to pool surround and gazebo to be replaced with new deck that aligned with pool design. New glazing units. Maintain existing surface drainage.”
5. August 17, 2022, Nick Mowbray: “Remove existing and redundant plumbing fixtures and replaced, remove interior linings and introduce continuous waterproof membrane throughout wet areas, new water-resistant linings and stone tiles”.
6. September 16, 2022: “Installation of an on-site wastewater treatment system and reticulation to replace the existing plant and disposal system.” Owners were listed in that consent as Mat, Nick and Anna Mowbray, along with Lewislegal Trustees 2016.
7. October 26, 2022, Nick Mowbray: “New home gym and recovery area within a large interior utility space of an existing building. Ground floor includes shower block, powder room and new access to the immediate pool area. New mezzanine floor and access to existing first floor of main house.”
SOURCE: Auckland Council
Anne Gibson has been the Herald’s property editor for 23 years, has won many awards, written books and covered property extensively here and overseas.
It's to be built on a greenfield site near the Esmonde Rd motorway on-ramps and off-ramps.