Hawke's Bay property auctioneer using te reo Māori to close the deal

Hawke's Bay real estate agent Tina Chamberlain is one of the rising stars of New Zealand auctioneering, and she's using te reo Māori to close the deal.

Chamberlain, of Black & White Real Estate, finished runner-up at this year's Reinz National Auctioneering Championships in the open division.

It was the first time Reinz held an open division in addition to the premier division to broaden the reach of the competition.

Chamberlain, who sells whare around the region, was named last year's Reinz Rising Star for auctions and remains the only woman to receive this title.

At this year's competition 16 auctioneers from around the country battled it out to the top five of the open division.

"In the finals there were five of us competing to take the title," Chamberlain said.

"I'm so happy to have been the only female once again that took a podium at the national champs across all divisions at the 2021 competition."

She's not afraid to be the first.

Hawke's Bay woman Tina Chamberlain, of Black & White Real Estate, was runner-up in the open division at this year's Reinz National Auctioneering Championships. Photo / Supplied

Chamberlain, of Ngati Kahungunu descent, said while te reo was more widely accepted than it used to be, it still wasn't seen in auctions.

"It was very much the first time someone had taken te reo into the auction."

While not originally fluent in te reo herself, she wanted to use it in recognition of her uncle who taught at Hawke's Bay schools before his recent death.

She said it was about working with the communities you are operating in and making people feel comfortable.

"That's our job.

"They are making a life-changing decisions when purchasing a house.

"To me that was important. That's why I wanted to do something a bit different."

With an "Air New Zealand" theme in mind, Chamberlain replaced words used throughout the conduct of auction with the te reo counterparts.

For example, bid became tono and terms and conditions (tikanga and kawa).

She also used widely used words such as whare, whānau, whenua, tamariki and mokopuna, along with the aroma of rēwena bread in her property description.

She closed with her full pepeha.

Tina Chamberlain was praised for her clever use of te reo Māori in her auction call. Photo / Supplied

In addition to the challenge of speaking two languages, Chamberlain said the competition put her "in the pressure cooker".

"Basically the competition is there to put you through your paces. They make us think about our numbers differently."

She knew nothing about what she'd be selling until just a few hours prior.

"The pressure is real and a whole different level."

Chamberlain said she was proud to come runner-up as it showed she had worked hard to grow as an auctioneer and to better her auction call.

"For me it's not always about winning. It's about me challenging myself and stepping outside my comfort zone."

Her new goal is to compete in the premier division at next year's competition.

Chief judge Mark Sumich said Chamberlain was one of a handful of auctioneers in Hawke's Bay revitalising the craft.

"She's a very passionate person."

While her use of te reo was "unexpected", it was "very cleverly done" and was "compelling and riveting".

He said "unquestionably" there could be more te reo used at auctions in the future, but this would have to be balanced with making sure important legalities were understood and still observed.