What do we leave behind after years at some of our biggest housing and development agencies? This column asked Allan Young of Eke Panuku about that. Patrick Dougherty is now at the helm of a new entity and Mark Fraser of Kāinga Ora reflects - all in today’s Property Insider
Updated
Eke Panuku’s legacy and what will replace it; Allan Young reflects; Patrick Dougherty’s move; Mark Fraser on nearly five years at Kāinga Ora - Property Insider
Opinion by
Anne Gibson, Property Editor for New Zealand's Herald, has been writing about real estate since 1985 and is a skilled and knowledgeable journalist with deep insights into property as well as other businesses.
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Various council-owned entities preceded its formation in September, 2015.
First came Sea + City, then Waterfront Auckland, whose boss was John Dalzell - more latterly with apartment developer Du Val.
David Rankin, Eke Panuku chief executive, wrote in the June report that most staff would move to two new departments in the Resilience and Infrastructure directorate, headed by Barry Potter.
The Auckland Urban Development Office would focus on the delivery of urban development and greenfield activities, including with key partners, such as the Government, Rankin wrote.
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The Property Department would focus on leadership of property and portfolio management and providing commercial advice on property for the group, Rankin wrote.
Eke Panuku development general manager Allan Young leaves on October 31. He has had a big role in his time.
Greatest achievements at Eke Panuku?
Young: “Guiding urban renewal projects across the Auckland region.”
Highlights include:
- 20ha residential development at Hobsonville Point; Facilitating the mixed-use Ormiston Town Centre with Todd Properties;
- The Wynyard Quarter developments;
- Delivery of the infrastructure for the 36th America’s Cup held here in 2021;
- Redevelopment of the Downtown Carpark by Precinct Properties in partnership with Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei.
What do you plan next?
Young: “Looking forward to a new career chapter in delivering urban renewal and infrastructure projects.”
Why are you leaving?
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Young: “I have enjoyed working with and leading the successful development team at Eke Panuku across a diverse range of urban renewal projects. The recent council-controlled organisation reform changes offered the chance to explore new opportunities in urban renewal and infrastructure delivery.”
Last year, he said that under the terms of a development deal, John Love’s Civic Lane didn’t have to pay Eke Panuku $3m due for the former Civic Administration Building yet.
“The $3m for the purchase of the site that we’re talking about here is not due and contractually payable until the agreement that we have with Civic Lane Ltd is actually complete,” Young said.
“That $3m is not currently due. We’re very comfortable with the contractual obligations and the relationship we have with John,” Young said in 2024.
Love, who did New Zealand’s largest office-to-apartment conversion, predicted last year it would be “24 to 28 months” before more apartments were sold, enabling him to repay his mezzanine funder, Australia’s Qualitas.
After this coalition Government’s changes to Kāinga Ora following a scathing report, one of its bosses has left to head an arm of the ex-Eke Panuku.
Patrick Dougherty was Kāinga Ora general manager of construction and innovation.
He is now the general manager of the Urban Development Office at the council.
Dougherty put the state house builder on a fast track, trying new off-site construction methods aimed at getting better, faster homes for our most needy.
He had mixed results. Some developers KO worked with failed.
Simon Wilson reported on the new structures, writing that Dougherty will have a staff of 170 including 111 from Eke Panuku and 43 from the central council.
The new property management division is in the hands of Ian Wheeler, who had a similar role at Eke Panuku. He has a staff of 133, comprising 87 from Eke Panuku and 46 from the council’s old property division, Wilson reported in July.
Dougherty started in his new role on August 11.
What do you plan to bring to this new role?
Dougherty: “The Auckland Urban Development Office is a new entity made up of several impressive parts with existing critical workstreams in play.
“It will continue with the regeneration projects in priority locations around Tāmaki Makaurau, including the city centre, plus champion the infrastructure and investment phasing activity.
“Now with a wider focus, it aims to deliver development and regeneration projects that turn council strategies into real outcomes on the ground, be it brownfield or greenfield, either where council owns assets or by enabling developer-led initiatives.
“There’s huge potential here – to bring pace, urgency, and integration to development work across the city.
“Having many years focused on the delivery of urban developments at scale, I am enthused by the opportunity to use that experience to work with all the key participants in council and across the development community to clear the path and directly support the growth our city so clearly requires.”
Does your work at KO have any bearing in terms of what you will be doing?
Dougherty: "We are always the sum of what we have done before.
“The roles I’ve held over the years have one common theme – driving delivery which improves the lives of others through the work I do.
“Making a tangible difference in people’s lives, especially here in the city I call home, is something I’m enormously proud of.
“Having a sensitivity to public service, navigating the central and local government environment to enable delivery, and successfully driving commercial outcomes from the many years in the private market, there is a unique opportunity to combine that experience and work with some very talented people in the Auckland Urban Development Office.”
Kāinga Ora’s Mark Fraser on achievements
Mark Fraser’s fifth anniversary as KO general manager of urban development and delivery would have been December, but he has left.
Achievements were delivered through uncertainty, Covid, political and organisational change and market cycles, he said.
In those nearly five years, he listed achievements at KO as being:
- 10,993 homes enabled;
- 2530 social homes;
- 2224 affordable homes;
- 6239 market homes;
- 170ha of land developed, much of it brownfields;
- $1.6 billion infrastructure built and urban development delivered;
- Wastewater, stormwater, roading, utilities, parks and amenity;
- $700m in land sales revenue.
“I reckon that’s a good day out. I’m looking for opportunities to have impact. And I’m excited about making change for myself,” Fraser wrote on LinkedIn.
Anne Gibson has been the Herald‘s property editor for 25 years, written books and covered property extensively here and overseas.