Industry Videos

▶ 01:22 2023.04.02 Remuera — Auckland's Traditional Blue-Chip Suburb, 4km from the City Centre Remuera is one of Auckland's most prestigious blue-chip suburbs, just 4 kilometres from the city centre and next to the well-known Newmarket shopping precinct (Westfield), with a rich cultural and historical setting — a quiet neighbourhood where you can feel the weight of history and the prestige of an established luxury-home area. According to Barfoot & Thompson's Remuera branch, it listed 567 properties last year, with strong sales momentum across the suburb. Even as sales eased this year, the clearance rate for all Remuera listings held steady at 70%, underlining robust supply-demand fundamentals. Remuera also offers Auckland's finest education, from the best public schools to the most renowned private schools such as King's School and St Kentigern — highly sought after by Chinese families. Cici Wang, a senior agent at the Barfoot & Thompson Remuera branch who has lived and worked in the area for 20 years, is ready to share everything about Remuera.

▶ 02:34 2023.03.02 East Auckland's "Golden Triangle" School Zone — Home of Macleans College, Surrounded by Sea East Auckland's "golden triangle" school zone — made up of Mellons Bay, Eastern Beach, Bucklands Beach and Half Moon Bay — is surrounded by water on three sides, with unbeatable scenery and strong long-term upside. Macleans College here has been ranked New Zealand's top public secondary school for overall student achievement for four consecutive years and sits among Auckland's top ten public high schools; together with Pigeon Mountain School and Bucklands Beach Primary and Intermediate, it forms one of Auckland's most complete and strongest education corridors, where children can study and play by the sea. The area's favourable geography also spared it from several flood events this year, while open terrain, tidy streets and everyday sea views create a comfortable living environment. Residents can walk the coastline, comb the beach for shells, explore nearby islands by kayak or canoe, or set sail on the harbour. Chinese cuisine from across the country and numerous Asian supermarkets and restaurants make daily life easy even without English, and friendly Chinese neighbours are never far away. As a long-established good area in the east, the golden triangle offers scenic beauty and stable safety, which is why many Chinese families have settled here for three generations. Housing ranges from luxury sea-and-hill-view villas to standalone homes with private gardens and terraced townhouses.

▶ 01:20 2023.02.02 Barfoot & Thompson Chinese New Year Flower Market — Festive Fun and Prizes Barfoot & Thompson's Chinese New Year flower market is in full swing, filled with festive "福" decorations and the blessing "万事皆胜意" (may everything go your way). A ring-toss game offers prizes — ring two houses to win a dragon toy, or three for a red packet — drawing families and friends to join the fun. Visitors can also share photos to their WeChat moments to spread the festive cheer. Barfoot & Thompson wishes everyone a happy, prosperous and lucky new year.

▶ 01:51 2022.12.02 Hobsonville — Northwest Auckland's Model Community: Three New 10/10 Schools, Homes $1.1M–$1.2M Hobsonville is a carefully planned modern community in northwest Auckland that continues to draw strong buyer interest. Daily life here has real character: the corner café owner remembers your favourite order, the waterfront deck serves one of Hobsonville's best brunches, Costco handles the shopping in one trip, and the Catalina market brings a lively, down-to-earth atmosphere. A historic air force base has been transformed by sculptors into a series of multi-purpose parks, offering plenty of outdoor activities and space for kids to burn off energy. For education, three newly built 10-out-of-10 schools — Hobsonville Point Primary, Scott Point Primary and Hobsonville Point Secondary — take care of schooling. The community is vibrant and well planned, with modern standalone homes, terraced houses, apartments and a quality retirement village to suit different needs. Hobsonville sits at the gateway to northwest Auckland near State Highways 16 and 18, giving access to the Northwest retail hub and a short drive to Albany; via State Highway 20 it is about 20 minutes to Auckland International Airport, or around 30 minutes to the city centre by ferry from the wharf. Homes currently for sale in West Harbour and Hobsonville range from about NZ$1.1 million to NZ$1.2 million. Widely regarded as a benchmark for New Zealand's modern communities and a positive contributor to housing supply, it is a place you won't want to leave once you move in.

▶ 02:03 2022.11.02 Mt Albert — Central Auckland's Underrated Value Play, Minutes from the City Why do so many buyers prioritise central Auckland? The answer is simple — location. Mt Albert is exactly that kind of underrated central suburb: whether by car, train or bus, the city centre is a quick trip away, and the surrounding motorway network links every corner of Auckland. That central position brings not only convenience but lasting capital stability. Relative to neighbouring double school zones, Mt Albert offers better affordability, making it a strong option for buyers who need to live centrally. Housing spans historic hilltop estates, attractive standalone villas, and newly built terraced homes and apartments — suiting owner-occupiers and investors on a range of budgets. Notably, homes in Mt Albert's school zones are more affordable than surrounding areas while education standards remain high: the well-known Mt Albert Grammar School, Gladstone Primary, plus Unitec and AIS. Leisure is equally well served, with Auckland Zoo, MOTAT, Rocket Park, the Mt Albert Aquatic Centre and golf courses all close by, while Westfield St Lukes, cafés and restaurants — especially Chinese eateries and supermarkets — round out the amenities. If you're considering Mt Eden or Ponsonby, Mt Albert is close enough to the city yet noticeably cheaper — which is exactly why people choose to live here.

▶ 02:15 2022.10.02 From Horse Paddock to Sold-Out Estate — The "Taimana Rise" Development Playbook Taimana Rise — known in Chinese as 山语四季 ("Four Seasons of the Mountain") — sits in Greenhithe, Auckland, on a 33,000-square-metre site that was once a forest-fringed horse paddock. Before developing, the team weighed location, scenery and site conditions, then planned a quiet, comfortable, premium estate where every villa occupies over 600 square metres, with design, materials and generous outdoor space all working in harmony with the landscape. Market research showed a shortage of new homes in the area that could comfortably house larger, multi-generational families, so the buyer profile was focused on quality-driven households with elderly parents and young children. The site is zoned for 10-out-of-10 primary and secondary schools, with Kristin and Pinehurst private schools nearby; spotting a gap in early-childhood options within two kilometres, the developer built a high-end kindergarten inside the estate so residents can walk their children there in a minute. Before launch, bilingual branding — Taimana Rise and 山语四季, with the slogan "书香门第，山语之间" — boosted awareness. Stage-by-stage marketing and promotions, followed by professional staging, photography, video and multi-channel promotion for each completed home, helped the project sell out quickly.

▶ 02:08 2022.09.02 Mt Eden — Auckland's "Home of the Arts", 5km from the City, Median $1.42M Mt Eden, less than 5 kilometres from central Auckland, is one of the city's best-known landmarks. A dormant volcano formed 20,000–30,000 years ago, its summit holds a crater roughly 50 metres deep, with sweeping views over the city and harbour. At its foot lies a leafy residential area dotted with early-20th-century villas that have long attracted artists, writers and teachers — earning Mt Eden its reputation as Auckland's "home of the arts". The area is full of energy: Eden Park, New Zealand's national stadium for rugby, cricket and concerts, is nearby, while Potters Park offers a playground, basketball courts, a riding track and, each summer, a water-play fountain area. Despite a population of under 20,000, Mt Eden boasts two famous streets — Dominion Road (多美路) with more than 100 restaurants from around the world, and Mt Eden Road lined with cafés, bakeries, supermarkets, banks, pharmacies and clinics. For education, there are two century-old primary schools (Mount Eden Normal and Maungawhau), top public high school Auckland Grammar, Auckland Normal Intermediate, and private schools St Peter's and Ficino. The Barfoot & Thompson Mt Eden branch holds about 46.4% market share, with a median price of around $1.42 million. A suburb that balances energy and calm, Mt Eden offers a distinctive way of life.

▶ 01:48 2022.08.02 Royal Oak — Central Auckland's "Urban Oasis" at the Crossroads of Two Main Arteries Royal Oak is central Auckland's "urban oasis". At dusk, the benches on One Tree Hill are filled with the romance of sunset and starlight, while sheep on the green grass are a daily backyard view. Life here is relaxed: drop by the beloved ice-cream institution, tick off New Zealand's first KFC, and soak up the bustle at Royal Oak Mall and Noel Leeming Plaza. It is superbly connected — Mt Albert Road runs east-west and Manukau Road runs north-south, their intersection placing Royal Oak at the golden point of two central arterial routes, with the motorway ring just a couple of minutes away and a planned rail link adding more options. Education covers every stage: the sought-after Royal Oak Primary, the long-established Royal Oak Intermediate, the private Marcellin College, and quality early-childhood options. Housing spans the elegance of old villas, the classic bungalow and the clean lines of modern developments. Gazing up at Pah Homestead, you can almost touch a century and a half of history, while Monte Cecilia Park holds nature, heritage and culture — and is a favourite spot for dogs to socialise. Life can slow down, but finding the home to hold it can't wait — Royal Oak is a place with views and a lively spirit.

▶ 02:38 2022.08.02 The Two Things NZ Developers Value Most When Buying Land — Location and Demand What do developers value most when buying land to build on? It comes down to two things — location and market demand. Using Epsom and Royal Oak as examples, the video explains: Epsom sits in the central double school zone, home to the century-old Auckland Grammar and Epsom Girls' Grammar, the leading girls' schools Diocesan and St Cuthbert's, plus King's School, ACG Parnell and Saint Kentigern — so buyers were targeted as education-focused, financially capable families. Noticing strong demand for more private standalone homes, the team built six standalone villas at 71 Watling St to fill that gap. In Royal Oak, where new homes are scarce, the developer delivered eight three-bedroom, two-storey brick homes of around 180 sqm — quality, low-maintenance and affordable, popular with investors and downsizers; after a slow launch last year, five sold recently amid multiple offers. The developer, Just Quality Developments, lives by "Quality is in our name", using traditional materials like brick and colour-steel roofs built to last generations. Barfoot & Thompson, the Auckland real estate market leader, works closely with developers to turn a vacant section into someone's dream home.

▶ 01:48 2022.07.02 A Day in the Life of a Property Manager — 500 Tenants, Daily Inspections Kun Lu, a Barfoot & Thompson property manager, walks through his day. Each morning starts by checking emails — with more than 500 tenants to look after, urgent issues like leaks or power outages must be prioritised and tradespeople booked early to keep tenants happy. Between 10am and noon he is usually out on inspections, two or three a day, working through a checklist: whether glass doors are cracked, whether the kitchen has leaks (which can swell and damage cabinetry, costing a lot to replace), and whether mould on the ceiling comes from poor ventilation or a leak the landlord must fix. Completed inspection reports are sent to the landlord, and serve as evidence for future insurance claims; routine inspections are typically done every three months, per the landlord's insurance requirements. In his view, you must inspect the properties you manage yourself and know their condition — the longer you do it, the more familiar each home becomes, and the easier it is to manage. "A house is like your own godson," he says.

▶ 02:04 2022.06.02 Browns Bay — North Shore's Beachside Suburb, Home of Rangitoto College Once rated by Tripadvisor as the busiest beach in New Zealand and Australia, Browns Bay was a well-known seaside holiday spot before becoming part of Auckland. After the Auckland Harbour Bridge opened in the late 1950s, the North Shore entered a new era and Browns Bay grew into a suburb. It has a Riviera-style shopping village — wander from the beach to the Clyde Road shops, or browse more than 100 stalls at the weekend market for crafts, fresh produce and even antiques. Education is excellent, with Rangitoto College (a top-ten public high school by national achievement), Browns Bay School (founded 1888), the well-regarded Sherwood Primary and Murrays Bay Intermediate. For leisure, a skate park overlooking the beach and Rangitoto Island, colourful playgrounds and the beach keep children busy, while Freyberg Park offers rugby league, bowling, lawn bowls and tennis, and Sherwood Reserve and Long Bay provide a touch of nature. Browns Bay has the largest area of flat land in the East Coast Bays and is the commercial hub of the eastern coastline, blending city, sea and countryside into a relaxed bayside lifestyle. The Barfoot & Thompson Browns Bay branch, at the heart of the North Shore, has held a 40–50% market share over the past financial year — a sign of the community's trust.

▶ 02:01 2022.05.02 Henderson — West Auckland's Best-Value Suburb, Ringed by the Waitakere Ranges Henderson is ringed by the Waitakere Ranges Regional Park, putting mountains, waterfalls and native forest within easy reach, with walking and cycling trails for outdoor lovers. Commuting is easy too — State Highways 16 and 18 are close by, and there are two train stations in the area. The suburb blends urban convenience with natural beauty: Corban Estate Arts Centre, set in an old winery site, and Auckland Film Studios, where many classic productions were made, give Henderson a distinct arts and film character, while the WestWave pool (free for children) and Trusts Arena offer plenty of sport and recreation. Amenities are well covered — West City Mall sits a short walk from Henderson station, alongside three Woolworths, two Pak'n Save stores, home improvement retailers and Chinese supermarkets including Golden Apple and Dahua. Henderson Heights is a popular pocket with a 90% owner-occupier rate, mostly solid, low-maintenance single-level brick homes with well-tended gardens; Western Heights and Summerland primary schools are well regarded, and ACG Sunderland private school draws families to the area. Compared with the central, North Shore and eastern suburbs, Henderson offers strong value, with a wide choice for owner-occupiers, investors and land developers, lower buying pressure and solid upside. In March, Barfoot & Thompson held a 50.7% share of the West Auckland market, with homes selling in an average of 35 days and a median price slightly above NZ$900,000.