South Island Region

Welcome to
Te Waipounamu

The South Island is on the cusp of a new era with some of the country’s largest ever projects set to grow and enhance our city centres.

Our region will see the rollout of key regeneration projects for Christchurch’s city centre and the first stage of Dunedin’s new public hospital build. These projects reflect the vision, commitment and leadership of our members and the strength of our communities. 

The often talked about opportunities that would arise, particularly in tourism, hospitality and retail are now fast becoming a reality, and these will continue to drive the South Island’s economy. In Christchurch, the Global Settlement was an important milestone and we’ll continue to work towards the city’s return to local leadership by engaging and assisting local and central government, and key regeneration agencies.  The vision of the Blueprint and Central City Recovery Plan is coming to life in central Christchurch. It reflects the vision, commitment and leadership of property, New Zealand’s largest industry. We have a reshaped city; now it is time to make it thrive.

Our members will benefit from our advocacy across multiple topics as we go into bat on their behalf to open the doors for further development and supporting infrastructure. Key areas include: 

  • Building system reform 
  • Resource management reform 
  • Infrastructure funding and procurement 
  • Local authority funding (including vigilance in respect of inequitable funding models) 

These issues will have a huge impact on the future of the property sector and it’s our job to ensure that the collective voice of our members is heard by policy makers.

Tom Chatterton

Rider Levett Bucknall
South Island Regional Chair

2023/24 South Island
Advocacy Priority

In the regions, our regular projects include Long-term Plans, Annual Plans, District and Spatial Plans, rates differentials and development contributions. In addition to this, each Regional Committee also choose one priority to focus on for the year, with the South Island’s being:

"Investing in the future of our cities and communities – facilitating certainty and unlocking opportunities for growth through stronger stakeholder relationships."

Regional Events

Regional

Otago Corporate Golf Day

Tee off 2025 in style! ⛳️ Join us at the 2025 Otago Corporate Golf Day, hosted by Property Council at the stunning Otago Golf Club. This much-loved annual event promises

Register Now
Regional

Christchurch Corporate Golf Day

Swing into 2025 At the Christchurch Corporate Golf Day!   Start FY26 on a high note with a day of connection, camaraderie, and a little friendly competition at Canterbury’s premier corporate

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South Island
Regional Committee

The South Island Regional Committee assists the Property Council team to formulate our local advocacy strategy and plan member events and initiatives in the region.

The current Committee is in effect from 1 November 2024.

Local Government
Briefing Paper

The Local Government Briefing Paper has been produced in advance of the 2025 Local Government Elections to provide candidates – many of whom are unfamiliar with the property industry – with a simple guide to the challenges faced, solutions available and potential impact for their city or region.

The document outlines five key workstreams: 

  1. Foster stronger relationships with the property sector 
  2. Improve local government funding and financing 
  3. Fairer investment in infrastructure 
  4. Connect regional planning and transport; and 
  5. Increase housing supply and improve consenting. 

Singing off the same song sheet nationwide also helps ensure consistency across our national and regional advocacy workstreams. It is a working document that will evolve over time as policies are announced and issues arise, with the current version available for download by members upon logging in here. 👉

This content is for members only

Join today and help champion the industry that shapes our cities and communities.

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Book your tickets!

Friday 1 November 2024
Majestic on Durham, Christchurch

The South Island Property People Awards celebrate and recognise the people behind the projects in the South Island region.

Tickets for the South Island Property People Awards are now available – book today!

Recent Submissions

Submission

Property Council submission on the New Zealand Infrastructure Commission’s ‘Testing our thinking: Developing an enduring National Infrastructure Plan’ discussion paper

On 10 December 2024, Property Council submitted to the New Zealand Infrastructure Commission on their Testing our thinking: Developing an enduring National Infrastructure Plan discussion paper. Why this matters to our members This is important to our members as it informs future government action on implementing a 30-year National Infrastructure Plan and what planned investment is needed over the next 5-10 years. If the National Infrastructure Plan is appropriately supported, it will create greater pipeline certainty for the infrastructure sector. Our view We broadly support the aim to create greater pipeline certainty for the infrastructure sector. At a high level, we recommended that the New Zealand Infrastructure Commission: Adopts a robust, sustainable, and forward-thinking approach to infrastructure investments that strategically

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Submission

Property Council submission on the draft Ōtautahi Christchurch Future Transport strategy 2024-54

On 6 December 2024, Property Council submitted to Christchurch City Council on the draft Ōtautahi Christchurch Future Transport Strategy 2024-54. Why this matters to our members Property Council supports a transport system that connects communities, allows people to travel efficiently across regions, and enables the safe and efficient movement of freight. Our view A well-rounded transport system should unlock urban development opportunities through new housing and/or intensification. Transport investment is critical for reducing commute times, enabling new housing supply, increasing business productivity and reducing climate emissions. We believe that this joined-up approach is necessary and recommended that the strategy is revised to incorporate the importance of connecting urban development with transport to better reduce emissions. At a high level, we

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Submission

Property Council submission on Auckland Council’s Draft Southern Rural Strategy

On 29 November 2024, Property Council submitted to Auckland Council on their Draft Southern Rural Strategy. Why this matters to our members This is important to our members as it directs the long-term management of growth and development in the southern rural areas of Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland. It is a sub-regional spatial strategy, which complements the regional direction set out in the Future Development Strategy 2023-2053. Rural means all land outside the Rural Urban Boundary and includes all settlements in the full Franklin Local Board plus small adjacent areas of rural land within the Howick and Papakura Local Boards. All areas with current urban zoning and future urban development of the Drury and Pukekohe/Paerātā areas are also included in the

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Contact Us

Help champion the
South Island property industry

Property Council has several dynamic and engaged member taskforces and committees, who provide insight and support our team with a range of initiatives. These groups are ever-changing and are open to all members.

We also have numerous opportunities for sponsors to partner with us to produce and support local events.

Please contact your Regional Manager for further information:

Sarah Rundstrom

Central Regional Manager

021 951 150
sarah@propertynz.co.nz