Kiwis in Property Newsletter December 2021

About Us

Kiwis in Property (KIP) is a professional networking group promoting business and career opportunities for New Zealanders connected with the commercial property sector in the UK, Europe and globally.

KIP began in 2014 when three kiwis met in a Spitalfields pub and decided to start a club where they could talk about big buildings, jandals and chilly bins in the same sentence. Today our mailing list reaches over 800 property kiwis in London, back home in NZ and across the world.

Our membership includes property investors, developers, corporate occupiers, agents, lawyers, architects and many other professions associated with the commercial property sector. We actively connect our members so they can do business together and we help new arrivals to find work in the property sector and settle into London life. On the social side we also enjoy the odd NZ craft beer and occasionally dressing up in silly outfits!

Group membership and events are open to all NZ passport holders with connections to commercial property. Wherever you are in the world you can sign up to our mailing list for free. If you are UK based we encourage you to also subscribe as a KIP member for only £49 per annum. Membership entitles you to free entry to the majority of our London networking events and discounted rates for social events. KIP members are also eligible to list themselves in our “Find a Kiwi” directory – promote your expertise and get noticed!

You can view highlight videos of our breakfast speaker events here. Become a paid KIP member to access our full video library of speaker talks.

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Kiwis in Property Newsletter December 2021

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Merry Christmas Property Kiwis!

It's feeling a lot like a rerun of Christmas 2020 with uncertainty over further pandemic restrictions, returning to our home desks and wondering how long Boris can hold onto his job! The difference this time is that we have vaccinations & boosters and there is the promise of NZ opening up its borders in 2022 for visits with less restrictive quarantine - so some hope on the horizon.

Kiwis in Property finished our year with our Xmas Jumper drinks which had a great turnout at The Secret Goldmine Cafe in Bermondsey. Everybody enjoyed the Yeastie Boys craft beers, mulled wine, Mike Meehan's famous Steak & Cheese Pies and general festive fun and frivolity. Check out a few pics from the night here Kiwis In Property Xmas Jumper Drinks - Dec 2021 | Flickr

Despite the pandemic KIP had a busy 2021 - here is our year in numbers;

7 online speaker events
2 live social events (summer and Xmas drinks)
136 new members in 2021 (1050 members total)
50 pies consumed at KIP Xmas drinks!

We have big plans for 2022 with no less than 7 top drawer speakers confirmed, kicking off on 24th February with our NZ High Commissioner to the UK, Bede Corry. Before that, on 19th January we have Tony Chamberlain of GB Pensions who will be joining us online from Auckland explaining how returning Kiwis can maximise the benefits of their UK pensions.

This month our member profile is from Sam Caulton, CFO of Re-Leased. Sam has been working in London for 8 years in various property finance roles and his perfect day would be sharing a plate of Kiwi lamb shanks on White Cliffs beach in Taupo with the "Paekakariki Express", former All Blacker winger, Christian Cullen.

Enjoy, stay safe, have a great break and see you all in 2022

Bryce
[email protected]

Upcoming Events

Transferring UK Pensions to NZ with GBPensions
Wednesday 19th January 2022
ONLINE EVENT

Thinking about returning to NZ and wondering what to do about your UK pension? Tony Chamberlain of GB Pensions will walk us through the process illustrated by some practical case studies.
Time: 8pm UK time
Register here:
19th January 2022 - Transferring UK Pensions to NZ with Tony Chamberlain of GBPensions - 8pm UK time (kiwisinproperty.com)

Breakfast with Bede Corry, NZ High Commissioner to the UK
Thursday 24th Feb 2022
LIVE EVENT

In August 2020 Bede Corry commenced as New Zealand High Commissioner to the United Kingdom after a distinguished diplomatic career. This in-person event will be a great way to meet him and learn more about NZ government and trade activity with the UK.
Time: 8am-10am
Venue: K&L Gates Lawyers (near St Pauls tube)
Register here:
https://www.kiwisinproperty.com/event/kiwis-in-property-breakfast-with-bede-corry-feb-2021

See our website for a full list of forthcoming webinars and events in 2021:
https://www.kiwisinproperty.com/

New KIP Members this month

A warm welcome to the following new KIP members who joined our community over the past month

Kezia Lynch - Parkable - Proptech (NZ Hometown - Auckland)
Claire Kavanagh - CKX Consulting (Porirua)
Todd Anderson - Innisfree - Banking/Finance (Auckland)
Ed Lyons - Eversheds - Legal (Auckland)
Sam Ellis - Parkable - Proptech (Auckland)
Ryan Spear - Forbury - Proptech (Christchurch)
Isabella Ovens - Amida - Recruitment (Auckland)
Ross Dickison - L.E.K, Consulting - Consultant (Wanganui)
Emma-Jane Hayward - DWD - Planning (Dunedin)
Laura Tinker - DWD - Planning (Napier)

How do I find out who else is in the group?

Two options, you can check out our website membership directory Find a Kiwi (kiwisinproperty.com)- paid KIP members have the option of posting their own personal profile to promote their skills and businesses to the community. And/or you can join our LinkedIn group Kiwis in Property (UK) | Groups | LinkedIn

Keep in touch with our latest updates and Kiwi news - follow the KIP LinkedIn company page

Just click on the image below and press follow

KIP Speaker Video Library

Our speaker talks are recorded and available to view for paid KIP subscribers via our speaker video library: https://www.kiwisinproperty.com/speaker-videos.

The latest addition is our October interview with Jane Patterson MNZM the COO of FIFA NZ and one of the organisers of the 2023 Women's Football World Cup to be co hosted by NZ and Australia. Jane shared her fascinating career story in PR and event management including the challenges of organising the third largest sporting event in the world amidst a pandemic. Check it out!

KIP Business of the month - GB Pensions

Planning to return to NZ and wondering what will happen with your UK pension?

Click on the image above to play the introductory video

The UK has one of the world’s most extensive and complicated pension regimes. In fact it has two!

Firstly there is the UK State Pension and its sidekick known as the State Second Tier Pension (S2P), both of which are unconnected to personal or company pension schemes. Secondly then, there are personal and company pension schemes which themselves fall in to two main categories of Defined Benefit and Defined Contribution.

About the only similarity of the two regimes is the way in which the pension payable from them is taxed in the UK. If the above does not present enough confusion for the average member of the UK public, imagine the added complexities faced when one moves to a different jurisdiction such as New Zealand, which has completely different regimes and a totally opposing tax system for pension schemes.

Navigating this maze is not a simple feat and it is all too easy to fall foul of (specifically) tax rules in one or other of the two jurisdictions. Conversely however, armed with a little knowledge, there are some significant tax savings to be had if the right actions are taken at the right time.

Brit, Tony Chamberlain of GBPensions has been working in the pensions industry since 1988, of which fifteen were as an adviser in the UK and the last sixteen have been in NZ. Hear what you need to do to optimise your retirement benefits whilst in the UK, whether you intend retiring there or in NZ. Also find out what not to do!

Join the our Webinar with Tony on 19th January to learn more 19th January 2022 - Transferring UK Pensions to NZ with Tony Chamberlain of GBPensions - 8pm UK time (kiwisinproperty.com)

Kiwi deal-flow club

After many Zoom calls in 2020 we are delighted to say that the KIP deal-flow club is expanding exponentially, not only from within the Kiwi community but also to our non-Kiwi friends through quality introductions from the network. We are pleased at the engagement and the transaction breadth we are covering, but most of all we are delighted that we have been able to get great deals to active investors. If you have property you would like to look at selling discreetly, or your buying requirements have been updated, please let us know so we can assist. You can get in touch with Bryce at [email protected] or Patrick Ryan at [email protected]

Become a KIP financial supporter

Help us to keep going and growing and become a paid KIP subscriber. An annual membership sub of just £49 entitles you to free entry to all our speaker events and webinars, discount access to social events, access to our speaker video library and the ability to post your profile in our KIP membership directory and vacancies to the KIP jobs board for free. Just log in, go to your profile dashboard and press subscribe - easy as that. A big thanks to all our subscribed members for their ongoing support to help make this a great kiwi community. We are always happy to have a chat about corporate sponsorship opportunities too - just get in contact with [email protected]

Is your business profile visible to our 1000 strong property Kiwi community?

If you are a paid KIP member you are entitled to add your business profile to our Member Directory Find a Kiwi (kiwisinproperty.com) which will give you and your business greater visibility to the KIP community who love doing business with other Kiwis. Don't forget to update your profile if you change jobs or move back to NZ so we can keep in touch

PS If you have decided to head back to NZ don't forget the KIP network back home. Check out the KIP LinkedIn group for NZ based members you can get in touch with and shout if we can help with introductions.

Kiwi Jobseekers

Our jobseekers page is actively in use. Please support any new arrivals with a (virtual) coffee and guidance whenever you can. We all remember what it was like being new to London and how good it was to grab a flat white with another kiwi who could give us a steer in the right direction

If you have recently arrived in London (or NZ) and are looking for work in the property or insurance sectors get in touch with [email protected] and we can put you touch with our extensive network.

ARE YOU HIRING?

If you have job vacancy in the UK, NZ or anywhere else that you would like to advertise to our 1000 strong Kiwi property professional readership please get in touch [email protected]

Currency Exchange

KIP have partnered with Halo Financial to allow our members to access discounted exchange rates for Kiwi dollars – contact Geraldine Collett on +44 (0)20 7350 5470 or [email protected] and let her know KIP sent you to access the best deal.

Member Profile

60 Seconds with Sam Caulton

Name: Sam Caulton
NZ hometown: Wellington
Company: Re-Leased Software Company Limited
Role: CFO

What is your connection with the property sector?
- Having spent 5 years at KPMG in Auckland, I moved to London, and found myself with a fantastic role as Head of Investment Analysis and Management Information with a leading London Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT), Great Portland Estates. It was not long before I fell in love with the industry, which was not hard, given the type of commercial real estate I was exposed to in the West End, where the majority of GPE’s portfolio was based. I am now CFO at Re-Leased, a fast growth Commercial Real Estate software business taking on the world, with over 125 staff, and offices in Denver, NYC, London, Toronto, New Zealand and Australia.
How long have you been in the UK?
- Since 2014
What piece of advice would you give a fellow Kiwi new to London?
- Walk / run the streets. London does not have the hills / landmarks like some big cities, so can be hard to get your bearing. I fell into the trap of getting the tube only to find out that walking would have been faster (and more fun)!
What makes you proud to be a Kiwi?
- We like to buck the trend, do things a bit differently.
How can other KIP members help you?
- Connections in Commercial Real Estate, UK, AUS, US and NZ
How can you help other KIP members?
- Hiring. We are always looking for great people to join the business, so if there is anyone in their networks that is keen to join a fast growth software business, please send them our way.

Kiwi fun facts

Favourite NZ Sporting Personality?
- Christian Cullen. My all time favourite. Hard to beat!
Favourite NZ beach?
- White Cliffs in Taupo
NZ food you miss most?
- Lamb Shanks
Who would you most like to sit beside on your next trip back to NZ and why?
- Marc Ellis – it’s a long trip, and would be guaranteed laughter for at least 18 hrs!

Discounts for KIP members

Volcano Coffee
Volcano Coffee are kindly offering discount code for KIP members – “KIAORA” will give the KIP community 25% off Volcano coffee online https://volcanocoffeeworks.com/

Yeastie Boys Beers
Members can get a 10% discount on the web store - use the code "Bach" or use this link for the discount to be applied automatically: https://yeastieboysuk.myshopify.com/discount/Bach

Social Media

Don't forget that you can follow KIP on Facebook or Instagram and/or join our LinkedIn Group, by clicking on the icons below.