Hamilton’s $14.5 million Parkhaven wins supreme award

A landmark mixed-use building in Hamilton’s CBD has taken out the top honour at Waikato’s major property awards.

Hamilton’s $14.5 million mixed-use Parkhaven development won the Baker Tilly Staples Rodway Supreme Excellence Award at the We Are Waikato Property People Awards, run by the Property Council.

The complex, which overlooks the cityscape and Hamilton’s green belt, also won the Boffa Miskell Urban Design Award.

The 2300 square metre development by Black & Orange was completed in January and includes a café, high-end residential apartments and penthouses.

“Parkhaven has added to the rejuvenation of the northern end of the city and serves as an inspiration to the wider property industry for future mixed-use developments,” said the judges. “The Parkhaven Team followed urban design best practice and principles when crafting this project, as they transformed a group of dated single level buildings into a premium five-story complex.”

Black & Orange director Mitch Mace says it was very much a team effort, including construction company Form Building and Developments, Edwards White Architects, and engineers and planners BCD Group, who are also the anchor tenant and have the same owners as Black & Orange,. “We brought a lot of local talent together and we saw it as a team exercise. There’s a whole lot of small things that makes this thing what it is.”

Fellow director Jonathan Brown particularly acknowledged the role of the architects. “Quite a lot of kudos goes to Edwards White Architects in terms of their vision for the site and their attention the whole way through.”

Parkhaven has won several awards during 2019, and Mace says the Property Council awards, coming from people they work with regularly, were “one of the bigger ones for us, to be recognised within the industry”.

He thinks the building probably stood out for its commitment to mixed use, which is not a new concept but is still relatively rare in Hamilton,  and for its quality.

“I don’t think anything of this sort of overall quality between all the uses has been done [in Hamilton].”

The final tenant, RPS Homes, will move in to the ground floor by the end of the year, and Mace, who is also a director of BCD Group, says tenants are enjoying the building. “Obviously we’re in the building and it’s going great for us.”

The awards, in their ninth year, recognise excellence in leadership and innovation in the property industry. Entry is open to members and non-members of Property Council New Zealand who are based in Waikato. This year 21 nominations were received across nine categories, with more than 300 people attending the awards dinner at Wintec’s Atrium on October 17.

Property Council’s Hamilton branch president Brian Squair said it’s fantastic to see the Waikato transforming through new innovative developments. “The awards also celebrate the outstanding contributions of the many individuals and teams that put their heart and soul into the region’s property industry.”

Partner at law firm Harkness Henry, Dr Joan Forret, won the Beca Women in Property Award. As a specialist in property and environmental law, she currently leads the Resource
Management Team.  “It was Joan’s overall achievements, work ethic, leadership and contribution that shone through, making her a role model to other women in the industry,” said the judges.

The Rider Levett Bucknall Young Achiever of the Year Award went to senior engineering geologist and co-founder of HD Geo, Emily Cleland. From a successful career working in the geotechnical industry, to co-founding a geotechnical consultancy in 2014, judges cited her as a future leader who has made a considerable contribution to the Waikato property industry.

The Holmes Consulting Best Team Award went to Otorohanga’s Medical Project Team for the development of the town’s new medical centre. “The obvious camaraderie and commitment from this team to achieve the desired outcome is a credit to all those involved in the project,” said the judges. “An entire community will benefit from having better outcomes for their healthcare.”

University of Waikato Professor Alister Jones won The CKL Property Professional of the Year Award for his leadership of major university property projects. He was noted by judges as “being committed to working in partnership with stakeholders and going the extra mile.”

Some of the key projects led by Professor Jones include Te Piringa – Faculty of Law, and the Tauranga CBD campus.

The Foster Construction Outstanding Leadership Award went to fellow chartered accountant Leonard Gardner who joined the Foster Construction Group in 2003.  Now a director and shareholder in the company, he has played a key role in the community and property industry by leading many projects throughout the region, said the judges. “It was Leonard’s leadership, commitment and contribution to many successful projects in Waikato that cemented his place as this year’s winner.”

Waikato property industry stalwart Les Matthews was presented with the Hawkins Long Service Award, for more than 40 years as “a champion of quality architecture and urban design”. Judges cited his involvement in award-winning local projects, his exemplary standard of professional service, mentorship, and leadership of project teams.

The Veros Property Services Judges’ Choice Award went to the Ingham’s Breeder Project Team – Te Mawhai, for the development of a parcel of land wedged between the North Island main trunk railway line and Te Mawhai Road. “The development builds on the region’s talent in the production of primary sector goods and strengthens the resilience of a growing poultry market,” said judges.