Catch up on the latest from the advocacy team below:
- Meet senior advocacy advisor, Leonard Hong
- Your voice shapes our advocacy priorities
- EPB Seismic reform
- Plan Change 120: Have your say
- Recent submissions
Meet Senior Advocacy Advisor, Leonard Hong
As Property Council’s Senior Advocacy Advisor, Leonard supports the development of policy and advocacy initiatives that reflect the real-world experience of our members.
Leonard brings a strong background in economic analysis, public policy, and political economy, with experience spanning both the public and private sectors.
Leonard joins us from the Property Council of Australia, where he served as a Policy Advisor in the Western Australia Division, based in Perth. He holds a Master’s degree in International Political Economy from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore—one of Asia-Pacific’s leading universities—where he graduated with First Class Honours.
Prior to his work in Australia, he was an Advisor to Hon. Andrew Bayly MP FRGS, former New Zealand Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, and a Research Assistant at The New Zealand Initiative, a prominent think tank and research institution.
Driven by a passion for political science and economics, Leonard is deeply committed to evidence-based advocacy and policy reform. His intellectual curiosity and dedication to continuous learning make him a valuable addition to our team, and we are excited to have him contribute to our strategic advocacy efforts.
Make sure you say hello and welcome Leonard to the team when you see him at our upcoming events.
Your Voice Shapes Our Advocacy Priorities
As we plan our advocacy agenda for the 2027 financial year, we want to hear directly from you — our members.
Property Council’s Advocacy Survey 2026 is your opportunity to tell us what issues matter most – from upcoming planning reform to seismic shakeups and investment certainty. The results will directly inform our 2026 advocacy priorities and guide our future workstreams.
As a membership-based organisation, we advocate on behalf of our members to ensure the property sector’s interests are front and centre in government decision-making. Your feedback is vital to ensure we’re representing your interests effectively.
It only takes a few minutes to complete, and your input helps strengthen the collective voice of the property industry.
EPB Seismic Reform
In exciting news, Minister Penk has reached out to PCNZ and will be meeting with us next month to hear feedback from our members on the recent Earthquake-Prone Building System announcement. It’s great to see this level of engagement, which reflects a positive and collaborative relationship. To ensure we accurately represent our members’ views, we’ll be meeting with our Seismic Strengthening Taskforce to gather feedback that will be shared directly with the Minister.
If you’re interested in joining the Taskforce or attending the workshop, please get in touch with Sandamali.
Join the Webinar
MBIE’s Performance team is holding two webinars on the Government’s proposed changes to the earthquake-prone building system and how they will impact the requirements for earthquake-prone buildings. The first webinar will run on Wednesday, 11 November at 12 pm and will focus on residential buildings. The second webinar will run on Wednesday, 18 November at 10 am and will focus on commercial buildings.
If you are interested in tuning in, click here to register.
Plan Change 120: Have your say
Plan Change 120 will significantly shape Auckland’s future development capacity. It proposes substantial upzoning, tighter rules for building in natural hazard areas, and new technical design requirements.
Public consultation opens 3 November, and our Advocacy team will host a workshop on 12 November (10am–12pm) to help inform our response.
If you’d like to learn more about the proposed changes and share your views, please contact Bella Leddy to register.
Local Government (Auckland Council) (Transport Governance) Amendment Bill
The advocacy team has recently drafted a submission on the Local Government (Auckland Council) (Transport Governance) Amendment Bill.
This Bill changes how transport decisions are made in Auckland, bringing Auckland Transport under Auckland Council. Most significantly, it creates the Auckland Regional Transport Committee (ARTC) which includes members from both the Council and the Government and sets out a 30-year strategic transport plan for Auckland.
Our submission recommends that the ARTC contain people with property expertise and that the ARTC is empowered to monitor the delivery of the 30-year strategic plan.
Our draft submission is now available for member feedback. If you’d like to read it and share your thoughts, please contact Bella Leddy.
Recent submissions
- Submission on the Regulatory Systems (Internal Affairs) Amendment Bill
- Submission on the Local Government (System Improvements) Bill 2025
- Submission on the Going for Housing Growth Discussion Paper
- Submission on the Draft National Infrastructure Plan 2025
- Submission to the Ministry for the Environment on National Direction Package 3: Freshwater
- Submission to the Ministry for the Environment on National Direction Package 1: Infrastructure and Development and Package 2: Primary Sector