I’m just back from a trip to Germany via Hong Kong, and as much as it was a holiday, I can never switch off my professional reflections.

The efficiency of people getting around CBDs in these countries struck me.

Trains, subways, buses; the transport culture is just about the complete opposite of Auckland where we are all still so addicted to the car.

Yes, yes, I know the old argument that goes around in circles that Read the rest of this entry »

Researchers have delivered us a double whammy about how badly we are using office space in New Zealand. And it’s got me worried.

Colliers researchers have found that premium office space in Auckland is costing around $10,000 per staff member. Although these staff may be working in open plan areas, the number of breakout rooms, meeting rooms and other spaces has pushed the space being used per person way over the top.

By my reckoning, a sensible cost per staff member Read the rest of this entry »

Despite the fact that property is the second biggest cost for most businesses, it is still not often a topic high on the list of priorities in the board room.

For a great many leaders in business, the case for integrating the strategic management of property with business development and productivity has not been made.

Read the rest of this entry »

As politicians from all the main parties tramp around the hustings in the dying days of this year’s general election, I am more than a little disappointed about their policies on productivity.

They all say we need to do better, but say very little about how. And even less on any innovative thinking about it.

Perhaps we could take a lead from the state of Read the rest of this entry »

The rebuild of Christchurch is getting the wobbles.

There are some very tough decisions to take about which heritage buildings can be preserved, the design of the new CBD, and where the new construction should begin.

Underpinning this is a major challenge over time; the urgency of getting things done quickly to have people and businesses up and running ASAP, versus taking the time to plan well.

Dealing with clients in Christchurch, I have heard a few horror stories about SERA, the government agency responsible for rebuilding after the earthquake, and their lack of consultation with business property owners. Read the rest of this entry »

Working smarter is a key objective for most organisations. Doing more with less and not compromising the service or product is often top of the list.

So what part does the place we work in play in the equation?

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There are two words that have come to mean a great deal in the late 20th and early 21st century: property and relationship.

Perhaps they are words that have meant a great deal for many centuries, but somehow I think today we place enormous importance on relationships and property.

Well, after all, they relate to some very primal needs; shelter, and the need to survive as social beings.

So why am I talking about this today?

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For most of us, the many plans and strategies issued by city councils and governments are something we do not pay a great deal of attention to.

Let’s face it, most of us consider them to be rather bureaucratic and a waste of time, or else necessary evils we have to put up with.

However… Read the rest of this entry »

There has been a right royal battle going on in Auckland for a decade or two now, between malls and strips.

On one hand we have the shopping experience of the up-to-the-minute, clean, fresh malls of Westfield, Kiwi Income and AMP. On the other hand we have main street, whether that’s parts of Queen Street or Newmarket, the Britomart or other older suburban strip retail shopping.

A quick stroll around the lanes in Newmarket, Britomart, Wynyard Quarter, a few parts of Queen Street and its offshoots shows more and more quality retail is starting to emerge. And I don’t think it is a short-term trend just for Rugby World Cup.

When I looked into this emerging trend I found Read the rest of this entry »

The focus of this blog over the past couple of years has been to draw on my first-hand experience of commercial property leasing in this country.

Other than various surveys on market trends, usually conducted by real estate agencies, very little solid research has ever been conducted into how business leaders approach their property leasing strategies.

So I decided to initiate a survey of a wide range of New Zealand businesses to investigate their approach, knowledge and understanding of commercial property leases to test some of my assumptions.

It has been a very revealing exercise, showing both Read the rest of this entry »

The commercial property market in Auckland is finally starting to look truly more buoyant.

Some new commercial premises are about to be built, and there is definitely an air of confidence around. Just look at the buzz surrounding the opening of the Wynyard Quarter down at the Viaduct Harbour.

It has been particularly up and down since the Global Financial Crisis and I had to smile today thinking of how, nearly two years ago, I was optimistically talking about Read the rest of this entry »

The name of the Auckland Council’s spatial plan, Auckland Unleashed, could be a real two-edged sword.

I can appreciate the idea that the Council wants the city to take off but there is also the risk you could take ‘unleashed’ to mean something wild and uncontrolled.

And it will be getting controls right that will determine whether Auckland can grow in the right way and fulfil its potential. Read the rest of this entry »