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

Download the Local Government Briefing Paper

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

All Events & Courses

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

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Save the date!

Friday 7 November 2025
Ōtautahi, Christchurch

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

Learn More

Recent Submissions

Submission

Property Council submission on Hamilton City Council Plan Change 14

February 27, 2025

On 27 February 2025, Property Council submitted on Hamilton City Council Plan Change 14. Plan Change 14 makes changes to the District Plan to ensure that as Hamilton grows, new developments are resilient to flooding caused by extreme weather. In brief Property Council supports aspects of Plan Change 14, as it is important to avoid flooding risk where possible. However, we are concerned that provisions of Plan Change 14 will result in unintended consequences for Hamilton. Most significantly, without ensuring the accuracy of proposed changes and established processes for landowners or developers to apply for changes, it will create uncertainty for the property sector. Property Council recommends that Hamilton City Council: Either retain flood mapping in the District Plan or

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Submission

Property Council submission on proposed improvements to the Building Code’s insulation settings – H1

February 25, 2025

On 25 February 2025, Property Council submitted to the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) on proposed improvements to the Building Code’s insulation settings. MBIE’s proposed improvements to ‘H1 Energy Efficiency’ settings are to see if there are ways to allow for more flexibility of building designs to reduce upfront costs and increase energy efficiency. Why this matters to our members Our members support policy settings that ensure dry, healthy and energy-efficient buildings. Our view Property Council supports initiatives that will make upfront building costs better balanced and improve the certainty of compliance and consenting of buildings. However, we need these changes to be long lasting given that the industry needs the time and reassurance to adapt. We also

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Submission

Property Council submission on the Resource Management (Consenting and Other System Changes) Amendment Bill

February 11, 2025

On 10 February 2025, Property Council submitted to the Environment Select Committee on the Resource Management (Consenting and Other System Changes) Amendment Bill. Why this matters to our members The current resource management system is broken. We want a system that creates efficiencies in the planning system to make it easier to achieve housing growth in New Zealand. Our view Property Council supports the objective of the Bill, particularly the intention to create a more streamlined planning system. This will make it easier to consent new houses and implement the Government’s Going for Housing Growth policy to unlock land for housing. At a high level, we recommended that the Environment Select Committee: Urge the Government to set clear expectations for

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All Submissions

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:

Danielle Brayne

South Island Regional Manager

022 629 2820
danielle@propertynz.co.nz