Ken Christiansen fled to England with his parents at the start of World War II.
When Ken Christiansen arrived in New Zealand in 1960, he was already an experienced property consultant. He had worked as a property officer with the British Overseas Airways Corporation in England and around the world, and, as a property consultant, was among the pioneers of the comprehensive shopping
centre, a one-stop retail destination now commonly found in city suburbs.
One thing he did not find in New Zealand was a professional society for property managers and consultants. He also found a need to improve education in urban land economy, the most effective way of using residential and commercial land within towns and cities.
With like-minded others, he set up the Property Management Institute in 1977, now called the Property Institute of New Zealand, and was elected its first president.
Membership of the institute demanded practical experience and also academic qualifications, which were unobtainable in New Zealand. The only courses then available were a diploma in valuation and a variety of real estate papers.
Christiansen joined Auckland University as a senior lecturer in land economy in 1981, and campaigned vigorously for a property degree.
A bachelor of property administration qualification was established in 1983, bringing together the various strands of property management, including construction, estate management, surveying, town planning, valuation, and an in-depth study of the laws relating to land ownership and transfer. It is now offered at doctorate level.
Christiansen wrote five textbooks on property management in its various forms, and also authored numerous articles and papers.
Born and educated in Paris, he fled to England with his parents in 1939. He joined the British Army as an officer in the Intelligence Corps, and served in Greece and Palestine.
After the war he qualified as a chartered surveyor at the College of Estate Management in London before joining BOAC.
He retired from Auckland University in 1992, by that time associate professor and head of department.
Waldemar Kenneth Svend Christiansen is survived by his second wife, Jan, and his daughter, Jill.
