Changes at the top of a busy and successful national hotel developer; high-rise apartment developer Shundi of China heads for Queenstown for a much smaller project in the south; Michael Ahearne leaves SkyCity; dreams from 2012 for a big Takapuna development have now all these years later turned into a
Property Insider: Safari sunset for Taylor brothers; NZ tallest tower developer goes to Queenstown; Ahearne farewelled; Takapuna $250m dream turns to sale
La Quinta Wyndham at Ellerslie has risen above the Penrose motorway onramp/offramps. Photo / Safari Group
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He and brother Simon have established a new business which Taylor says he’ll talk about soon but not just yet.
Seems like it could be a joint venture with Safari and a new entity.
“When I started it was a small company but it’s grown into this today,” Taylor said last week of the business now based in Graham St.
The Neil and Taylor families established the successful national hotel/apartment development business, naming it after a Nissan Safari parked outside the accountants at the time.
The Neil family will continue with Safari. Damien Taylor said his family would remain shareholders in some older developments.
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“But we’re out of it day-to-day.”
The newest building to be completed will be the new La Quinta Parnell on Beach Rd, due to be finished in May.
Many Safari buildings look alike and Taylor said that was purposeful: “All those design efficiencies have been honed.”
Safari completed the 12-level 274-room $140 million La Quinta Ellerslie last year, Ramada hotels in Queenstown, Wellington and Auckland and hotels under the Quest brand as well.
The business used a tried and true formula to unit title hotel rooms and sell them to investors with targeted returns.
A Safari business either took over the hotel operation to pay those investors who also got the benefit of free stays or it sold management rights.
In 2018, Taylor owned 10 per cent of Safari Management 2016, the main company. His father Stephen owned 23 per cent but the majority was owned by their business partner Rob Neil.
Safari was founded by Rob Neil and Damien’s father Stephen Taylor in 1996. The business is now in second-generation phase: Damien Taylor has been working with Rob’s sons Liam and Kyle, the Herald reported in 2018.
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Reach for the skies - in Queenstown
Queenstown is the next destination for the local arm of a Shanghai-headquartered business which is building New Zealand’s tallest apartment with Auckland’s new Seascape on Customs St East.
The Environment Court at Christchurch heard the case between Shundi Queenstown and the Queenstown Lakes District Council over hotel plans for 53-65 Frankton Rd.
Shundi Queenstown is a New Zealand company incorporated in 2017 and part of the Chinese Shundi Group.
“We are informed that its ultimate shareholder is Yi Shao, through a holding company Landa NZ Trustee. We are also informed that the Shao family have been instrumental in the development of high-quality apartment buildings and hotels in Shanghai and the eastern regions of China since 1996,” notes to the latest decision said.
The company had a site on an elevated and relatively flat terrace allowing a hotel design that could offer superior unobstructed views across Lake Whakatipu/Wakatipu to the Remarkables, Walter Peak and beyond.
That is a 4700sq m block of bare land on Frankton Rd where the company originally planned an 82-room hotel with restaurant, bar, meeting rooms but independent commissioners declined that primarily due to how plans would affect the local road network.
But funding has been secured for a big Frankton Rd upgrade, the decision said. A modified proposal from Shundi had satisfied the requirements for consent, the Environment Court said.
Ash Muir of Mason & Wales is the project architect. Several images of plans for the new multi-level hotel appear on the practice website.
Haere rā, Michael Ahearne
Wearing a lei, standing on a podium in a green-themed room surrounded by staff and well-wishers, towering Irishman Michael Ahearne had a festive farewell last month when he left SkyCity Entertainment Group.
The party featured a haka in his honour, singing, shamrock decorations on the edibles and considerable celebration with Ahearne leaving in a sort of mash-up of Pasifika, te ao Māori and Gaelic themes.
“Michael is on his way home to Ireland after six and a half years at SkyCity, the last three as CEO. He is succeeded by Callum Mallett who was appointed interim CEO in March,” the company posted, showing Mallett wishing Ahearne all the best.
End of a big dream for Copson?
It seems to be the end of a dream for one multimillionaire, now advertising a huge property plot for sale.
Nearly 1ha of Takapuna, across the road from a beachfront reserve, is up for grabs.
That has left people in the sector discussing the move and who might buy such a large plot with so many valuable buildings in this difficult market.
Asian developers have pulled back lately, fewer plans are being launched and interest rates remain high so why sell now, they ask.
Bayleys has advertised the 9482sq m site with eight titles at 53 to 77 Hurstmere Rd and 14 The Strand, Takapuna. That has seaside-facing restaurants.
“Ten years ago, the owner spearheaded the successful and cosmopolitan-style beachfront restaurant pavilion located to the front of the site, which is home to proven hospitality establishments Regatta, Franc’s and Tokyo Bay, with the development a successful move to help knit the precinct with Takapuna’s high street,” advertising said.
Title information shows the 1227sq m property at 53 Hurstmere Rd is owned by State Advances Corporation whose directors include multimillionaire local businessman John Copson and Chris Arbuckle.
In 2012, Copson said he planned a $250 million scheme to build apartments, shops, restaurants, cafes, a business hotel and car parking.
In an attempt to turn the seaside suburb’s shopping strip to face the beach, the Crown Group businessman hatched the plan after paying Perron Group $32 million for a site, the Herald reported then. Crown wanted to develop 53, 55, 57, 65, 67-73, 77 and 77A Hurstmere Rd.
Copson, at the time on the NBR Rich List with $300m, said he wanted to reinvigorate the area as a retail hub by rebuilding 53 to 73 Hurstmere Rd.
He and Crown Property chief executive at the time Chris Arbuckle said they had met council bosses to discuss their ambitious plans for the nearly 1ha site.
So what happened? It is not clear right now. The agents at Bayleys did not have the information memorandum when asked for it. Attempts to talk to Copson and general manager Chad Cathcart got a response that they were very busy;
Arbuckle, previously vocal all those years ago on the plans by Ignite, said last Monday “I’m retiring, tomorrow actually. So I can’t help you”.
Anne Gibson has been the Herald’s property editor for 24 years, has won many awards, written books and covered property extensively here and overseas.
