Pro Experts

The Value of Hawke’s Bay Property

In November last year the NZ residential property market was running hot, as it was locally, evidenced from ever increasing values, the peak of which appeared to be in the latter part of last year. One could only wonder how long the upward trend could be sustained especially as there had been no letup in buyer fervour since the end of the first lock-down in 2020....

Korero in the Workplace: The Importance of Mental Wellbeing as a Business Asset

Mental Health Awareness Week runs from 26 September to 2 October 2022. In 2021, the theme of Awareness Week was “take time to kōrero”, which encouraged connection through conversation, and promoted openness about our mental wellbeing. For employers and employees, it’s important to understand that mental health plays a significant role in the workplace. For businesses, the mental wellbeing of...

Health is the new wealth

Recently I was asked to speak at a Wealth Conference. An unusual platform for a health & fitness professional to find themselves on. Or is it? Building wealth is important yes – but so is the having the health to enjoy it. There are many reports and studies on multiple different health topics that would indicate that we are not ready to enjoy...

Could your team be doing better?

Teams are a powerful asset for any organisation. However, unlike a sports team, we rarely spend time practicing being a team. While most organisations can acknowledge the positive impact of an effective team, particularly in leadership, few create a plan to make this happen. Looking at how your team is assembled and structured, how it functions, its strengths, blind spots and developmental requirements could be the single best thing you do for...

The Halfway Mark: Asset Class Market Update

The July edition of the Colliers monthly property research report reflects the halfway mark for 2022 and presents a timely opportunity for us to provide an update on market conditions across multiple asset classes both of what is being experienced nationally but also some of the local activity that has taken place. Retail The retail sector has had its fair share of challenges over the last...

Is the housing crisis over? How effective is the fast track planning process?

In our April 2022 article we talked about housing supply and how the effective use of fast-track planning processes under the RMA could assist us, while on the other hand recognising the views of some economists that ‘the housing market boom is over’. While the latter could be considered to prevail the former, does this make the issue worst? Even if the housing market...

Getting the Basics Right

Every business, regardless of industry or size, is vulnerable to cybersecurity attack- that’s just a fact; your business is not immune. As of the writing of this article, there’s an uptick in attacks across New Zealand in both the retail and manufacturing sectors, businesses that normally would be considered low on the radar, and that will only increase in these and other unexpected segments during the year....

The construction sector – The have’s vs the have not’s

The opportunities and challenges inherent within New Zealand’s construction sector have always been amplified by its cyclical nature. With the high demand construction firms are currently experiencing in both the commercial and residential sectors, we are seeing the industry take fresh approaches as it responds to market challenges such as procurement of materials and delays due to supply shortages as...

The Growing Value of Insurance Cover

Recently there has been significant coverage given to the rapid escalation of costs within the New Zealand (NZ) construction sector. It’s no surprise then that this has seen a sharp increase in the cost to build/ rebuild in a comparatively short time frame. However, even if your policy includes an automatic inflation guard to cover annual inflation, your coverage has probably...

Small Trade Contracts: What you need to know moving forward

The Fair Trading Amendment Act 2021 comes into force in August 2022 and this will place new obligations on businesses while providing new protections for consumers and small businesses. The key change is that “standard form small trade contracts” will now be subject to the unfair contract principle. To understand the significance of this change we first need to identify...