2021 property and construction industry honours
2021 marked the beginning of Auckland’s “medium-density era”. During the year, New Zealand’s Chinese property and construction sector maintained strong momentum and recorded notable achievements.
2021 marked the beginning of Auckland’s “medium-density era”. During the year, New Zealand’s Chinese property and construction sector maintained strong momentum and recorded notable achievements. In volume terms, it consolidated its share of more than 50% of Auckland’s residential housing market; in quality, it also delivered many impressive results. Selecting the winners of the “2021 New Zealand construction and property industry honours” was therefore no easy task. After several rounds of discussion and careful selection from an outstanding field, the judging panel chose the following award recipients:
Development of the Year: This honour goes to APEC Property Development Ltd’s 55 Corinthian Drive project. You may not recognise the project’s name, but the BNZ building, clearly visible from the motorway, will surely have left an impression. Albany’s first five-star green building, it reflects the immense effort its developer and project team put into spatial design, functional planning and materials selection. The project received an Excellence award in the commercial office category at the 2021 Property Council awards. It exemplifies high-quality construction by Chinese businesses, and we look forward to more outstanding projects of this kind from Chinese developers.
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Developer of the Year: Founded in 2017, Synergy Development Group Ltd won for its precise market positioning and commitment to quality. This young, professional team has the vision and courage to act, choosing an exquisitely finished, luxurious mixed-use residential building as its flagship project. The Jervois & Lawrence luxury apartments in Auckland’s affluent Herne Bay were officially completed in June 2021 and have become a local landmark. The project is also a pioneering and representative example of Chinese developers entering the premium apartment market, demonstrating the ability of Chinese developers and teams to coordinate and deliver high-end apartments. Synergy is a thoroughly deserving Developer of the Year.
Construction Company of the Year: Celebrating its tenth anniversary in 2021, 3EYES Homes Ltd has translated years of accumulated expertise into outstanding results. It also won the residential construction category at the 2021 NZIBES Building Excellence Awards, making it an excellent representative of the many Chinese construction companies. Yet the company has neither rested on its achievements nor stood still. Its leadership has instead invested substantial time and money in team building, staff training, brand promotion and market expansion. The title of Construction Company of the Year is well deserved!
Innovative Project of the Year: Emerging in response to the “medium-density era”, Movein.co.nz uses advanced internet technology to support sales of off-the-plan and new homes. We are impressed by how closely the development team’s innovative thinking aligns with market trends, and believe it will win the favour of property developers, agents and prospective buyers.
Real Estate Agent of the Year: Sarah Liu, a senior luxury property sales consultant at Bayleys Remuera, handled two of the ten largest luxury home sales in 2021. While continuing to excel professionally, she has enthusiastically supported charitable causes and given back to the community, making her an exemplary role model.
Industry Leaders of the Year: 2021 was a year of rapid progress for Relab, with major advances in both technological innovation and market share. These achievements owe much to its leadership team’s complementary internal and external strengths: CEO Knight Hou and CTO Leon Hong. With Knight leading external affairs and Leon overseeing internal operations, they have guided the Relab team to multiple awards over recent years. These include the BNZ-sponsored Best Innovation Award at the New Zealand International Building Summit and a gold medal in the Real Estate Institute of New Zealand’s innovation competition, alongside selection for the Icehouse Demo Day pitch programme and a place among the top 120 in Tencent’s SaaS Accelerator. All these achievements depend on what the pair have built together: an exceptional team of talented people, united by strong cohesion and creativity.
At a recent online seminar hosted by NZCBIA, participating members and guests repeatedly raised the hope that, as the Chinese construction sector increasingly enters the mainstream, our developers, planners and designers will consider corporate social responsibility alongside project development, improving rather than diminishing our cities’ liveability. Only then can the property and construction sector go further. NZCBIA therefore once again calls on colleagues in the Chinese property and construction sector to value and uphold craftsmanship and social responsibility. The companies, projects, teams and individuals honoured this year are examples for us all. If each of us begins with small improvements in our own projects, work and services, the Chinese property and construction sector as a whole will become truly mainstream—a mainstream defined by quality, social responsibility and sustainable development!