Man about town Ricardo Simich brings you Society Insider. This week, an Australian multi-millionaire is reportedly the buyer behind NZ’s most expensive house sale; events entrepreneur Mitch Lowe is moving into the restaurant business; millionaire Boss Babe Iyia Liu is helping others follow in her
Society Insider: Buyer of $45m Queenstown home revealed; Jessica Clarke at David Beckham’s birthday; Mitch Lowe opens restaurant; Iyia Liu’s new business
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Karl and Kim Jameson and Jessica Clarke and David Gardner.
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OneRoof revealed last week that Chantecler, a 19-hectare estate in Queenstown, had sold for $45.5m in an off-market deal nearly two years ago.
The sale price is a combination of two deals for neighbouring addresses in the Lower Shotover area – one for $35m, the other for $10.5m.
Society Insider can reveal a company in which Karl Jameson - a construction, coffee and artificial intelligence entrepreneur – is the sole director of, is listed on the title that sold for $10.5m.
Property records were updated in December to show Jameson NZ Holdings as the new owner.
Ownership details for the second property are yet to be updated but it is understood Jameson is also behind the deal.
Another company of Jameson’s, Stelvio 1234 Limited, is also listed as the owner of another mansion in central Queenstown, which in 2023 had been on the market for $35m.
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Society Insider can also reveal Chantecler was put up for sale by Mike and Maureen Henry in 2023. The couple started developing the home 20 years ago after moving south to Queenstown from Auckland.
Former National MP turned Queenstown real estate agent, Hamish Walker, was tight-lipped when asked to confirm Jameson as the new owner.
“I can say the buyers are very excited to purchase an exquisite property on prime NZ real estate,” he told Society Insider.
Walker said he would expect the buyer to subdivide and develop part of the Chantecler property due to its high-value land.
The sale eclipses New Zealand’s previous biggest in 2013. Top agent Graham Wall sold the former Hotchin mansion on the corner of Paritai Drive and Huriaro Place to businessman Devi Shi for $38.5m.
The Coatesville mansion now owned by the Zuru Toys billionaire Mowbray family was purchased for $32.5m in 2016. The house was built for Chrisco multi-millionaire Richard Bradley in 2006 and was later leased to Kim Dotcom.
After purchasing Chantecler, the Henrys got rid of the 1960s Oamaru stone bungalow and replaced it with a four-bedroom French-style mansion which has several living areas.
The Henrys also turned the property’s land into magnificent, internationally themed gardens that have become recognised by The New Zealand Gardens Trust as being of natural significance.
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Walker tells Society Insider says the gardens are easily the best he’s ever stepped inside and have been used dozens of times over the years by the previous owners to raise money for charity, with regular Queenstown Plunket garden fundraisers.
Mike Henry reportedly estimated that he had welcomed about 30,000 people at his property over the past 15 years.
He had been involved in Queenstown’s Plunket garden fundraisers since its inception.
Meanwhile, in 2023 Walker was selling the $35m Queenstown central modernist home which was designed by Dunedin architects Mason and Wales.
He said at the time the owners – who he declined to name – were selling because they were moving on to another project. The house had been rented out as a holiday home. At $30,000 per night, rental guests included a bitcoin billionaire and a football superstar.
Jameson, who is from Brisbane, and his wife Kim are said to have hosted some spectacular dinner parties at the home.
Society Insider’s attempts to contact Jameson through his businesses for comment were unsuccessful. The Henrys had no comment.
Jameson is the managing director of Brisbane firm Locale Apartments, where he oversees all Locale projects, including negotiation, purchasing and analysis.
With more than 20 years in property development, Jameson has completed several high-density residential projects in the inner city of Brisbane within the last few years.
Locale Apartments website says they have a pipeline of more than 800 apartments throughout the inner city.
Jameson’s New Zealand interests include being a director for Christchurch-based AI company Herd-i, which produces an AI-powered system used by dairy farmers to improve the health of their cows.
In the US, Jameson is a driving force behind the financial success of Abbotsford Road, a Brooklyn-based coffee roasting business that claims to be one of America’s fastest-growing coffee roasteries.
Kiwi model mingles at Beckham’s 50th
She’s come a long way since she was scouted at the age of 15 at a movie theatre with her parents.
Palmerston North’s Jessica Clarke attended David Beckham’s 50th birthday celebration with her sports agent partner Dave Gardner, who is the football superstar’s best friend.
The black-tie event at Cipriani restaurant in Miami was reportedly the first of many celebrations ahead of his actual birthday on May 2.
Clarke was seen mingling with supermodel Cindy Crawford while other actors in attendance included Eva Longoria, Justin Theroux and Marc Anthony.
Sporting heavyweights included Tom Brady, Shaquille O’Neal, and Lionel Messi.
Beckham’s Inter Miami played the night before and Clarke was snapped at the game, posing with Gardner and Beckham.
By age 17, Clarke had walked the runways at fashion weeks in Milan, Paris, New York and London.
She’s featured in campaigns for designers including Dolce & Gabbana, Calvin Klein, Giorgio Armani, Mulberry. She was the first New Zealand model to walk for Victoria’s Secret in 2011.
She’s also an established businesswoman. In 2021, Clarke co-founded Mother Made - which produces mushroom wellness powders and supplements - with friend Emily Blanchett.
Bay Dreams maestro set to open first restaurant
Mega-successful events maestro Mitch Lowe is expanding his business interests, now entering the restaurant game in Tauranga.
Lowe, 35, is a director of 30 companies – including Bay Dreams, Audiology Touring, Tenfold, and Soundsplash – which provide entertainment across NZ and Australia in the form of concerts, festivals and weekly club events.
He launched the music festival Bay Dreams in 2016 with Toby Burrows, and since then, both former Aucklanders have made the Bay of Plenty home for good.
Lowe and Burrows also co-founded Trademark Live with Carwyn Williams, who has lived in Tauranga for 20 years. The trio had massive success in January with the sell-out DJ Fisher concerts in Christchurch and Auckland.
Lowe tells Society Insider that he loves Tauranga and what it’s done for him.
“I always want to give back and improve the region,” says Lowe.
He and wife Ezel are opening their first restaurant, Med Lounge & Garden in Tauranga’s Historic Village complex.
Ezel is also an entrepreneur and owns a popular Sangria brand, Nectar Sangria.
“Everyone told me not to start a restaurant as it’s a very difficult industry to be in; if only they realised that motivates me more.
“When I do things for the right reasons, they always seem to work. This is not a financial decision for us, it’s a project for the local people to be proud of.”
Lowe has put on more than 1500 events since he accidentally fell into the business in 2008.
At 18, Lowe launched his clothing line, AYESAP. The brand launch attracted more than 600 attendees and made a profit, which saw Lowe put his main focus on events.
After dating Ezel for more than five years, the couple got married in 2022 with a beautiful wedding in Queenstown.
Last year, they became parents for the first time with the arrival of baby daughter Kya.
They own a farm in Ohauiti, which is a big part of the story of their journey into the restaurant trade.
“We loved our neighbours’ house, restaurateurs Ariel and Mali Cottan’s, and we were looking for somewhere nearby for Ezel’s parents Ugur and Hanife Kokcu to live,” Lowe tells Society Insider.
As part of the house deal, the Lowes also ended up buying the Cottans’ five-star reviewed restaurant Malka, which they are renovating and turning into Med.
The Cottans, who have moved to Auckland, also owned the popular downtown Tauranga restaurant Falafel Metro and sold it to restaurateurs Tomer and Darya Rooney.
After an introduction by the Cottans, the Rooneys will be helping the Lowes with the Med’s menu and operations.
Along with the Rooneys’ Israeli flavours, the Kokcus will be introducing some flavours and dishes from their native Turkey into the menu. Mix that up with head chef Aditya Raut’s Italian-inspired creations, and the Lowes say they hope to create the perfect Mediterranean restaurant.
Lowe says the name Med is also a nod to the hospital near the Historic Village, with Med short for both Medical and Mediterranean.
The Lowes took over the former Malka in December and have refurbished the beautiful historic villa.
They are doing tastings for the menu this week and will stagger their opening over the next six weeks, as the finishing touches are done.
Lowe says the restaurant will seat 150, with a sunny outdoor garden bar and courtyard.
Among their Garden Bar’s offerings will be tapas, a variety of beers on tap, including Ezel’s Nectar Sangria and of course, DJ decks and room for a live music trio.
“We will be offering something unique; we will breathe life into the Historic Village and drive visitation as well,” he says.
The entrepreneur is juggling fatherhood, a heavy travel schedule with events and a new restaurant with aplomb.
A month after they welcomed their daughter, the couple started Kya Events, which so far has offered Wiggles’ dance events and mini toddler raves.
“These days, I have to decline more opportunities than I can accept,” Lowe says.
“Seventeen years in, for me it’s about doing what I love but more importantly things that add value to the people around me.”
Iyia Liu helping others to follow their business dreams
Multimillionaire entrepreneur turned business coach Iyia Liu became a millionaire in her early 20s. Now, aged 31, she’s turning her attention to helping other entrepreneurs follow in her footsteps.
Nine years after making her first million – with help from Kylie Jenner, who Liu paid to promote her Waist Trainer brand – she is now seeing success as an e-commerce training guru.
Make It Happen is Liu’s coaching business, which involves subscriptions, personal Zoom webinars and live events. Liu, who previously appeared on reality TV series Boss Babes and Celebrity Treasure Island, has drawn on her experience with her other businesses, Tidal Hair, Luxe Fitness and Celebration Box, from which she says have generated more than $30 million in sales.
Liu, who has more than 90m followers on Instagram, says her Make it Happen course covers all you need to know to get your e-commerce business up and running.
She says she has had more than 2500 students to date, each paying $500 for her course, which is released over eight weeks.
One of her students, Aisha Addison, founded orthopaedic pillow business Neck’s Best Thing, which has achieved more than $50,000 in pillow sales within just a few months of the launch.
Addison tells Society Insider that when she started her business, she was a complete amateur with no e-commerce background, but Liu’s course has helped her achieve “amazing success”.
“Iyia’s course was invaluable to me. It taught me the simple, practical skills I needed to get my business off the ground – no fluff, just clear steps I could follow,” says Addison.
As well as giving her students tips on how to be successful, Liu also shares advice on what not to do, based on the things she’s learned through her business career.
Her first foray into e-commerce with a fashion business was a failure before her Waist Trainer shapewear business took off.
And in 2018, her Celebration Box business gained complaints from customers to the Commerce Commission and a fierce online backlash.
Customers complained of the confectionery and dessert business boxes not arriving at all, poor communication, and being blocked on social media for complaining.
In 2019, the Commerce Commission found that Celebration Box had delivered two incorrect orders, which differed significantly from the products depicted and described online at the time of purchase. The commission also included a caution on the business that its terms and conditions between July and December 2018 may have misled consumers about their rights under the Consumer Guarantees Act 1993.
Liu says the experience taught her valuable lessons in business and dealing with detractors.
“There are always haters, in every business I’ve ever had, and also amongst my personal life,” she says. “There are all sorts of misconceptions.
“When I filmed the reality show Boss Babes, I got a mostly positive reaction, people realising I’m just an ordinary person.”
Liu says she is now well experienced in pivoting her businesses. Set to marry her design engineer fiance Jordan Delmont in May, Liu says the cost of the Uluwatu clifftop ceremony has blown out from $60,000 to $120,000.
But she has told her Instagram followers that she’s working hard to cover the doubled costs through her hair styling tools business Tidal Hair. She says she is sourcing hair straighteners for $25 each and selling them at a retail cost of $125, and sales are going well.
Liu and Delmont, along with their two children, Summer, 4, and Millie Brooke, 2, will host 70 guests in Bali. Liu says the family is excited, and she knows the wedding will be beautiful, although wouldn’t give any more details about what’s in store.
As well as her e-commerce businesses, Liu has run what she says is NZ’s largest annual women’s business conference.
“I love going to these events and inspiring others to leap, believe in themselves and chase their dreams – whatever they may be,” she says.
Liu explains she started her first side hustle after seeing e-commerce retailer Sophia Amoruso’s success story about her multimillion-dollar brand Nasty Gal.
“I thought to myself, if she could do it, why can’t I and now I hope I can inspire others to think the same,” she says.
On Saturday, Liu spoke to aspiring punters at a four-hour workshop and banquet at the palatial Lone Pine Estate in Riverhead.
Business leaders talking at the workshop included Pure SEO owner Richard Conway, autism advocate Jordan-Lee Ikitule, and the co-founder of mental wellness supplement brand Moodi, Kate Gatfield-Jeffries.
Liu has big plans to go international with her coaching.
“I aspire to be like those big American business educators, such as Gary Vaynerchuk, Leila Hormozi, Amy Porterfield, and Jasmine Star,” she says.
To achieve this, Liu works with several US-based content agencies to create material designed to grow her platforms and appeal to an international audience.
Party people of the week
Synthony at the Auckland Domain
Energy drink brand Mānuka Phuel made its powerful entry as the headline sponsor of Synthony at the Auckland Domain on Saturday.
The brand’s VVIP experience was the place to be at Synthony, with prime views of the main stage and guests enjoying bespoke Mānuka Phuel cocktails and a selection of canapes and shared platters.
High-profile guests included boxer Joseph Parker, DJ Dick Johnson, acclaimed Kiwi artist Rachel Rush, Pals co-founders Anna and Jay Reeve, influencers Samuel Levi and Rosalie Burns, who was there with her husband Myles Taylor. Also enjoying the hospitality were sports broadcaster Laura McGoldrick, models Sakura Matches and Portia Prince, fashion stylist Sam Cowley-Lupo, and beauty entrepreneur Edna Swart.
Breast Cancer Cure at Lake Hāwea Station
More than 400 guests gathered at the foot of the Southern Alps last week for Dine for a Cure and Hike for a Cure – two unforgettable experiences created by Breast Cancer Cure. The events were made possible thanks to Geoff and Justine Ross, owners of Lake Hāwea Station, who generously opened their gates to the charity.
On Thursday March 27, Dine for a Cure welcomed 100 guests to an intimate evening, hosted by BCC Ambassador and broadcaster Wilhelmina Shrimpton, featuring a bespoke three-course fire-and-ice-inspired menu by Michelin Star chef Matt Lambert. Set against the stunning Lake Hāwea Station landscape, the evening featured powerful moments and storytelling, with guests hearing from Justine Ross, Gibbston Valley winemaker Christopher Keys, breast cancer researcher professor Andrew Shelling and Lambert.
From fine dining to high-country adventure, Breast Cancer Cure’s Dine and Hike for a Cure events captured the spirit of connection, generosity, and progress, raising more than $100,000 of vital funds for breast cancer research in Aotearoa, New Zealand.
Ricardo Simich has been with the Herald since 2008 where he contributed to The Business Insider. In 2012 he took over Spy at the Herald on Sunday, which has since evolved into Society Insider. The weekly column gives a glimpse into the worlds of the rich and famous.
