Far North home for real estate company’s first three NZ offices

Real estate agent and auctioneer Gerard Ponsonby outside Raine & Horne Kaitaia, one of three branches of the firm he has set up in the Far North.

Three well-established Far North real estate offices have joined Raine & Horne New Zealand’s expansion, with branches opened in Kaitaia, Mangonui and Paihia.

Led by experienced real estate agent and auctioneer Gerard Ponsonby, the offices are the first to join the brand’s New Zealand expansion, with others to follow.

Raine & Horne is celebrating its 140th year in 2023, making it one of the southern hemisphere’s oldest continuously operating firms. It has more than 300 offices worldwide, including New Zealand, Asia, the South Pacific, India, Australia, and the Middle East.

Ponsonby, who was a regular member of his previous property groups’ high achievers club, opened his first real estate office in 1997.

With more than three decades of experience in New Zealand’s property industry, first with an independent firm and then a major real estate group, Ponsonby is thrilled to lead the first offices to join Raine & Horne’s expansion into this country.

“With Raine & Horne celebrating such a significant milestone of 140 years in 2023, coupled with the fact that the same family have remained at the helm throughout, is a testament to their success and knowledge of real estate and the fact they are viewed as a trusted brand,’’ he said.

“I look forward to embracing Raine & Horne’s superior ecosystem of technology firsts, including online proposal tool DigiKitPlus and social media marketing platform Amplify, in addition to its marketing, training and agency systems.

“Myself and my highly experienced team are ready to embrace a fresh start with Raine & Horne and are excited for the future being part of this renowned super brand.”

He said the timing was right for a change, taking over from LJ Hookers.

Ponsonby has lived in Kaitaia since the late 1970s, and before his real estate career, was a farmer.

“I started in farming on the South Island and moved north as a 24-year-old and I still maintain a farm in this region.”

He said Raine & Horne Kaitaia, Paihia and Mangonui will specialise in selling lifestyle acreage, rural, commercial and residential properties.

The switch to Raine & Horne has been timed to perfection with Northland region increasingly becoming a buyer hot spot for those looking outside of Auckland.

“A lot of Auckland people are coming north because properties in the Northland region are more affordable than in the city,’’ Ponsonby said.

“In Auckland, properties are averaging north of $1 million, and up here, you can still buy excellent family homes for less than $900,000.”