Matthew Gilligan Blog

Matthew Gilligan

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There is a narrative doing the rounds in New Zealand politics at the moment that property investment is a "cancer" on the economy.The argument goes like this: every dollar that goes into residential property is a dollar that should have gone into a "productive" business...

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On 5 May I appeared on TVNZ alongside economic commentator Bernard Hickey to discuss Labour’s proposed capital gains tax (CGT) policy. You can watch the interview at the bottom of this blog. While I am not in favour of a capital gains tax because it..

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Taking on Auckland's Infrastructure Monopolies

by Matthew Gilligan 29 Jan 26

In 2024, GRA formed a not-for-profit property advocacy group, Subdivision Advocacy NZ (SANZ), with Kirsty Merriman (developer) and Simon Oconner (town planner). We formed this in reaction to some astonishingly concerning behaviours from Auckland Council, Vector, Veolia and Watercare. The most well-known include the surprise..

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Labour's recently announced capital gains tax (CGT) policy has been positioned as a fairer way to tax wealth in New Zealand. After internal debate between a wealth tax and CGT, the caucus voted almost unanimously for the latter. Under this proposed policy, from July 2027 investment..

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We got a good result this month, pushing back on Auckland Council's egregious development contributions charges which were proposed last year.I, along with Kirsty Merriman (developer), Simon O'Connor from Sentinel Planning, and the team at SANZ (www.sanz.nz, which Kirsty and I lead as a non-profit..

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The property market is constantly moving, so it can be hard to keep up with what’s happening and which property investment strategies to use. To that end, on 10 June I held a Property Market Update webinar with Tony Alexander, which you can watch below...

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Development Contributions Increases

by Matthew Gilligan 12 Mar 25

Development contributions are proposed to increase in Auckland to frankly non-viable levels from a development perspective, especially for affordable or middle-end houses. The following graphic shows before and after the proposed costs.Auckland Council asserts that development fees have no impact on house prices, claiming that..

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  The Auckland Infrastructure Problem

by Matthew Gilligan 22 Nov 24

•Exorbitant development contributions proposed•Disconnect between Council and developers in Auckland•Red zones emerging for sewer and fresh water making sites non-developable•Abuse of monopolies by local government and utility providers•Concern this will spread across New Zealand to other councilsI have noticed many of our property developer clients..

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With interest rates showing signs of decline, investor interest in the property market may be on the rise. As lending rates fall, the cost of owning a home often becomes more competitive with renting, a trend that could drive a shift in New Zealand’s housing..

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I would like to express my sincere thanks to yourself and the team at GRA / Cornwall Trustees for the services you recently provided to my Trust. You were both professional and expedient in organising for Skeates Law and yourselves to execute the conveyancing of my property into the Trust to allow the title to reflect the correct Trustee names at LINZ and on the local council rating system in time for my advertising the sale of this property. I am sure that you have a team supporting you that allows you to make quick decisions and for these decisions to be executed with accuracy and pace that provided such an excellent service to my Trust. This also reminds me of an old L.V Martin television advert where their motto was "it’s the putting right that counts" and you certainly did do this in my case. In return you have a very satisfied client who wishes to convey their appreciation of their experience. Kind regards - Pravin

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