Property Insider power list: A Cabinet minister, a real estate agent and one woman – 10 most mentioned in past three years

Hutt South MP and apparently the minister of nearly everything, Chris Bishop, takes top place as the most-mentioned.

The people who have appeared most in the Property Insider column in the past three years. Back row from left: Chris Meehan, Chris Bishop, Scott Pritchard, Shane Brealey, Callum Mallett. Front row from left: John Love, Desley Simpson, Blair Peterken, Clive Mackenzie and Ross Taylor. Photo / Herald composite.

The no-nonsense, hard-working minister has taken on multiple portfolios spanning housing, infrastructure, RMA reform, associate finance and transport since late 2023.

It’s no shock that a column focusing on those very topics should feature him so regularly.

Yet he initially seemed taken aback.

“I’m a bit surprised to hear I’m the most written about in your column.

“Perhaps I shouldn’t be. It’s been a really busy three years with fast track, RMA reforms and infrastructure reforms,” Bishop said.

“It’s a real privilege to serve in the roles I’ve got and I hope to keep doing it for another three years. I think we’re making a real difference tackling tough issues New Zealand has put in the too hard basket for too long.”

“I’m a bit surprised,” Bishop said when told he topped the column’s power list.

Others differ.

“I don’t like him,” one friend told me when I leaked the outcome of the analysis to a left-leaner a few days ago.

She was ignoring the fact that I’m not running a popularity contest here. I’m measuring how many times people have been cited in my columns to indicate influence and power.

It is a testament to his influence and achievements that he is the most written about.

Dubbed “the everywhere man” in Hutt South, called Bish by mates, he was elevated to Attorney-General in April 2026.

And it’s not just his friends who call him that.

“Most people around Parliament from all sides call me Bish,” he said.

He ranked fourth in the Mood of the Boardroom last week, behind Erica Stanford, Todd McClay and Mark Mitchell.

So that’s nine men and one woman who gained the most mentions over three years in this column.

For lack of gender diversity, this column reminds me of New Zealand’s top property developers: the 12 men shaping Auckland and beyond.

Top property developers Scott Pritchard of Precinct Properties, Shane Brealey of Simplicity Living, Simon Woodhams of Property For Industry, Steve Evans of Fletcher Living, James Spence of Goodman Property, Philip Littlewood of Stride Property, Simon Thomson of Auckland Airport, Peter Mence of Argosy Property, Mark Francis of Asset Plus and Centuria NZ, Brett Russell of The Russell Group and Dominion Constructors, Chris Meehan of Winton Land and Clive Mackenzie of Kiwi Property Group in March this year. Photo / Dean Purcell. Illustration / Phil Welch

How this was done

A data specialist at the Herald examined every story in our archive tagged Property Insider under my byline.

That resulted in him locating 91 columns.

The column debuted on October 17, 2023.

A person mentioned in a column counts once per column, however many times they’re named in it.

So Bishop’s 11 means he appears in 11 separate columns.

Where people appear in the same number of columns, we used total mentions as a tiebreaker.

1: Chris Bishop

Whether he was featured announcing “flooding” the market with new houses by cutting red tape or addressing a housing summit, Bishop has been at the heart of many of this column’s stories.

The opening ceremony of the Resido apartment complex in Mt Wellington was attended by Hauauru Rawiri (from left) of Ngati Paoa, Housing Minister Chris Bishop, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, and Clive Mackenzie and Simon Shakesheff from Kiwi Property. Photo / Jason Oxenham

One pictorial highlight was last year when Bishop and Prime Minister Christopher Luxon opened the first build-to-rent scheme: Kiwi Property’s Resido in Mt Wellington.

2: John Love

John Love at The CAB. Photo / Alex Burton

The CAB developer generated many mentions in this column but not always in a positive light.

That was for his The CAB on Aotea Square, where he converted heritage-listed offices to apartments.

It featured often, partly because the penthouse, sub-penthouse and other units remain unsold after it was finished just as the market tanked.

It was also often in the column because of infighting between Love and the residents, which went all the way to litigation.

Love did not respond to requests for comment about his placement.

3: Callum Mallett

Callum Mallett of SkyCity.

Mallett’s long involvement in the New Zealand International Convention Centre (NZICC) was celebrated in February, one of the many times he was mentioned in the column.

“That is a surprise,” Mallett said of his placement on the power list.

Then he acknowledged why.

“The long-awaited and much-anticipated opening of the Horizon Hotel and the NZICC will certainly have driven this.”

Mallett is one of the more gracious people I deal with, and he didn’t miss the opportunity this time.

“We really appreciate the interest and passion you have for our business and our property portfolio, so thank you,” wrote the chief operating officer.

4: Clive Mackenzie

Clive Mackenzie of Kiwi. Photo / Kiwi Property Group

Plans for a second Costco at Drury, launching the successful Resido build-to-rent in Mt Wellington and developing New Zealand’s first Ikea at Sylvia Park were just some of the columns where Mackenzie featured.

Last year, he talked about Kiwi consciously pulling back from committing to capital-intensive new development projects.

The company had cut gearing and Mackenzie said at the time more favourable market conditions were needed before pressing play on work in its development pipeline.

5: Shane Brealey

Shane Brealey at Waiatarua beside the Southern Motorway and off Ascot Ave, Remuera. Photo / Jason Dorday

With KiwiSaver chief Sam Stubbs, Brealey, who was raised in Thames, is leading the largest build-to-rent development drive in New Zealand via Simplicity Living.

This Waiheke Island resident is an engineer who headed Brookfield Multiplex in New Zealand, then famously quit in a Jerry Maguire moment.

Opening Te Reiputa at Mt Wellington and initial completions at the 330-unit Waitarua off Ascot Ave in Remuera were highlighted lately.

6: Desley Simpson

Auckland Deputy Mayor Desley Simpson is the only woman to make the Property Insider power list. Photo / Michael Craig

“What a disappointment, I’m the only woman on the list,” Simpson said when she learned of her place.

The old Food Alley and ex-Yates building site is between Federal St, Wolfe St and Albert St and was one of the properties she talked about in the column.

Most of its buildings were demolished and the block fenced with barbed wire on top to stop entry.

Simpson said it was very sad the site had been left in that state for so long. “Auckland deserves better,” she said of the 4371sq m block.

Commenting on the Parnell sinkhole hell, Seascape and Auckland Anniversary Day floods were other topics that brought her into the column.

7: Blair Peterken

Blair Peterken of Colliers. Photo / Colliers

Blair Peterken, 45, a director of Colliers’ capital markets team, said: “It’s a privilege to be on the list. It’s been a successful few years. You’ve got to work hard and understand your clients and buyers and piece them together.”

Colliers markets well-known properties and covers most sectors, which probably explains his prominence, he said.

He is originally from Rotorua. His lifestyle block-owning parents valued education and sent him to Hamilton’s private Southwell School; then he was a boarder at King’s College.

He acknowledges he made connections there: “With boarding, you really grow up quickly and form some great friendships.”

The Colliers supremo featured a number of times for successful work selling a group of Woolworths, marketing an 11-building Te Atatū property and Pak’nSave in New Plymouth.

A Woolworths: Peterken and colleagues brokered a number of sales of these supermarkets.

Woolworths Westgate was one of the significant properties Peterken brokered with colleagues, along with the ex-Beca headquarters, 21 Pitt St, to Anne and David Norman’s James Pascoe.

The $42 million sale of Shortland St’s General Buildings, the $40m sale of St Kentigern Girls School in Remuera and the $38m sale of 110 Symonds St are some of the deals he lists as the larger ones here.

From 2014 to 2017, he was director and head of JLL’s South Sydney office.

He joined Colliers as capital markets director in early 2017 and specialises in the sale of bigger commercial assets and mixed-use sites.

8: Scott Pritchard

Scott Pritchard of Precinct. Photo / Dean Purcell

Precinct Properties’ chief executive Scott Pritchard features regularly in the column, heading one of the NZX’s largest listed real estate specialists.

Developing new $300m headquarters for Beca, many apartment projects, the new waterfront tower on the Downtown carpark site, and new student accommodation blocks on Queen St and Stanley St are some of the company’s projects.

“Here comes Santa Claus (and Precinct)” was the headline on one pre-Christmas column in November 2024.

Outside Commercial Bay at Te Komititanga Square, two Precinct bosses watched a Christmas tree go up.

At the window above, Nicola McArthur and Scott Pritchard of Precinct watch a Christmas tree being assembled. Photo / Michael Craig

9: Ross Taylor

Ross Taylor, previously of Fletcher Building.

“Romcom” Ross was nicknamed for his love of romantic comedy films.

He was Fletcher chief executive from late 2017 until 2024, so it’s no surprise he featured often.

The civil engineer with first-class honours from the University of Queensland was raised in Brisbane by an “amazing” mother but a father who “left early on”.

Taylor is now a non-executive director of Australian infrastructure and construction business John Holland.

10: Chris Meehan

Winton’s Chris Meehan in happier times. Photo / Jason Oxenham

The column’s focus over the past three years was on happier times for Meehan.

That was well before Winton’s meltdown with a series of resignations and claims against the chief of the business, which listed on the NZX in 2021.

His achievements at Ayrburn, plans for a now-delayed high-rise apartment retirement project in the Wynyard Quarter and Cracker Bay were highlighted.

Anne Gibson has been the Herald’s property editor for 26 years, written books and covered property extensively here and overseas.

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