Society Insider: The Kiwi stars backing $100m surf park; real estate dynamo is new Waiheke sculpture park owner

Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.
Kiwi Hollywood actor Karl Urban, former All Blacks Marc Ellis and Sir John Kirwan, and Anna and Jay Reeve are the big name Kiwis behind the new Auckland Surf Park planned for Dairy Flat. Inset, Megan and Warwick Jaffe are the new owners of Waiheke’s multi-million-dollar Connells Bay Sculpture Park. Composite photo / NZME
Man about town Ricardo Simich brings you Society Insider. The exclusive parties, the exotic holidays, the hook-ups, the break-ups, and the high-stakes business deals – this new Thursday column pulls back the curtain to reveal how New Zealand’s other half live.
A slew of rich and famous Kiwis have joined forces on the $100 million Auckland surf park, which Society Insider understands is just weeks away from breaking ground.
Rugby great Sir John Kirwan has been the well-known champion behind the 46ha development at Dairy Flat in Auckland – said to have the biggest footprint of any surf park in the world.
Society Insider can now reveal a host of other big names involved in Auckland Wave Park Holdings (AWH).
Along with Kirwan, local investors so far include Hollywood star and surfing fan Karl Urban and former All Black Marc Ellis, who came on as investors last year. Pals co-founder and keen surfer Jay Reeve got on board earlier this year and he and his wife Anna are keen to put their marketing nous all over the project. Kirwan is a shareholder in AWH along with property mogul and rich-lister Mark Francis, and sports journalist Trevor McKewen and wife Fiona Macky.
Kirwan and McKewen have known each other since Kirwan’s rugby playing days and are both lifetime surfers and close friends.
The pair have had plans for a surf park since 2015. Things went into overdrive in 2019.
Clearing the hurdle of resource consent in August was a major step forward. The project is now in capital-raising mode, headed by Francis, who is chief executive of Centuria’s New Zealand division. Francis is responsible for overseeing a $2.5 billion real estate portfolio spanning office, industrial, healthcare, retail and tourism assets across listed and unlisted funds.
“I’ve been involved in a lot of projects during my career, but I’ve never encountered the level of goodwill and positivity as I have with this one,” Francis tells Society Insider.
“I’ll go to meetings with people about other projects and almost every meeting ends with ‘hey, so tell me about your surf park’.”
Francis admits to being a novice surfer and impressed Kirwan and McKewen at his first session at Melbourne surf park URBNSURF earlier this year.
Kirwan tells Society Insider that Francis is a skier, so he caught on quickly.
“He’s also what we call in the surfing world a ‘frother’, which means extremely enthusiastic. He’ll be ripping with the best of them when the park opens.”
Kirwan also took another keen surfer for a few waves at URBNSURF earlier this year – All Blacks coach Scott “Razor” Robertson when the team were in Melbourne for a Bledisloe Cup test.
“Razor loved it,” Kirwan says.
“I noted he was quick to take the entire squad out to the Sydney URBNSURF park when they were en route to Japan.”
Man-made surf parks offer surf lagoons and standing wave attractions, with varying wave-generating technologies.
Technology used at the Dairy Flat park, called Wavegarden, will produce between 600 and 1000 waves an hour and the lagoon can accommodate up to 80 learners and expert surfers. There are 22 different wave settings, ranging from slow Waikiki-style waves to The Beast, a powerful barreling wave that tests the best in the world.
The scope of the project is huge – the pool alone is 2.5ha, which could be compared to filling the Melbourne Cricket Ground with water.
The project has consent for 85 eco cabins – think somewhere between a yurt and the ultimate surfers’ doss pad; a 50-room hotel, surf academy and clubhouse, restaurant, and a high-performance centre with yoga, fitness and recovery facilities.
It will also have farm-to-table food operations and community walkways and cycleways.
Auckland Surf Park is part of Aventuur, a US-based company that is creating surf parks with a worldwide network of pro surfers and athlete investors. Its first three parks – Perth, Auckland and Jacksonville in Florida – are all on track to open in 2027.
Aventuur holds exclusive licences for the Wavegarden technology in New Zealand, Australia, Fiji, Singapore and 10 cities in North America, something McKewen says will be a game-changer for surf parks all over the world.
Aventuur’s co-founders Richard Duff and Nicholas Edelman, both based in Venice Beach, California, and Aventuur’s Perth-based Andrew Ross, are all shareholders in the Dairy Flat park.
New Zealand’s top professional surfers Paige Hareb, Ricardo Christie and Olympians Billy Stairmand and Saffi Vette are supporters of the park. It has also received letters of support from Water Safety NZ, Surf Lifesaving NZ, Surfing NZ and Paralympics NZ.
“Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown and the local MP for the area, Mark Mitchell, have both been big supporters of the project, as has local councillor Greg Sayers and the Rodney Local Board,” McEwen tells Society Insider.
Francis says there had been strong early enthusiasm among the investment community given the size of the project, “its potential to inspire a tourism and event renaissance in Auckland” and its emphasis on community, sustainability and mental health.
Kirwan adds: “I see the opportunities for mental health benefits that I know surfing and being in a relaxed and peaceful environment can bring.
“It’s a safe, collegial atmosphere in the water where you can learn to surf no matter what level or age you are. And for competent surfers, it’s like going to Disneyland.
“But even if you are not interested in surfing, people will love coming to the park because of the other attractions we plan there.”
Kirwan found a kindred spirit in Aventuur surf and sustainability director, Adrian “Ace” Buchan, an Australian former World Surf League star who famously defeated Kelly Slater in two memorable finals.
Buchan has been heavily involved in the Auckland surf park and has made frequent trips across the Tasman from Sydney to meet with project backers, investors, iwi and local surfers.
“I love what JK is all about,” Buchan told Society Insider.
“He’s obviously an icon in your country given his ongoing service and commitment to mental health, in which he wants the Auckland surf park to play a big role.
“But he’s equally committed to sustainability, especially from a social perspective. We both believe it’s possible to create a special community at and around the park.”
Society Insider can reveal real estate dynamo Megan Jaffe and her husband, renowned cardiologist Dr Warwick Jaffe, will be the new owners of Waiheke’s multi-million-dollar Connells Bay Sculpture Park.
“The settlement is to come early next year and it will be our primary residence,” Megan Jaffe confirmed to Society Insider.
It is understood the Jaffes are taking their new slice of Waiheke very seriously, knowing they will be custodians of a very important part of cultural history. The sculpture park is home to more than 35 large works by prominent Kiwi artists, cultivated for more than 30 years by its current owners, philanthropists Jo and John Gow. Spanning 13ha, it has a private bay that looks out to Ponui Island and the Coromandel.
Earlier this year One Roof reported that the Sculpture Park had sold for more than $17.5 million. Society Insider’s sources have the sale at more.
Jaffe wouldn’t entertain speculation on what it cost, insisting she and her husband liked to keep their private lives private.
The couple have been together for more than 33 years and have another property on Aotea Great Barrier Island. Waiheke will be an easier sanctuary from which to juggle their busy careers.
It is understood they are having a boat built to help with ferrying them back and forth to their new island lifestyle. Two of the Jaffes’ Remuera residences are for sale, but Megan insists at least one will be kept as a bolthole in the city.
Before Megan became one of the biggest names in Auckland real estate, she was a registered nurse. She has credited her former profession for giving her excellent communication skills, which she has utilised to much acclaim in her years selling houses and managing sales teams.
After nursing Megan became husband Warwick’s business manager, and together they built one of the biggest private-sector cardiology practices in New Zealand.
Thousands of heart patients owe their lives to Jaffe. He has performed more than 3000 angioplasties, and over the last decade alone has made more than 30 trips to Samoa to work pro bono for the Samoan Health Service.
As well as helping build up the private practice, Megan had overseen the selling of the couple’s residential properties. She was fascinated by the process but also often found she was a frustrated vendor.
She decided to go back to school, studying for a Diploma of Management at Auckland University to give her the skills she would need to make it in the property market. She then completed a Master of Business Administration and the requisite real estate licences.
Megan’s acumen has seen her become one of the top brokers in the housing market, with her businesses turning over billions of dollars in real estate. Jaffe and her brand Megan Jaffe Real Estate started Ray White Remuera in 2007 and Ray White Ōrākei in Coates Ave in 2011.
In 2017, Jaffe made headlines when her company Magnolia Property Holdings relocated the Remuera Ray White offices into the former Remuera library building. She spent $12m on the building purchase and refurbishment.
Earlier this year, Jaffe and her business partner Thomas Farmer opened Ray White Ponsonby in Pompallier Terrace.
The Jaffes’ new property, the Connells Bay Sculpture Park sits in Cowes Rd on the southeast side of Waiheke where land with a private bay sells for big bucks. Nearby Pikau Estate had an asking price of more than $30m when it was sold two years ago.
Along with the waterfront main residence, the property comes with a jetty, two helipads and several high-end cottages – with a total of 10 bedrooms and seven bathrooms – which will be perfect for the Jaffes’ children, grandchildren and visiting guests.
It’s a fair bet the Gows weren’t just looking for the highest bidder for their beloved park, they wanted the property to go to new owners who would preserve the land they have nurtured.
Their passion for art, theatre and the natural environment has blossomed into an art lover’s dream on Waiheke.
The collection is from a veritable who’s who of the art world, including works by Montrose and Bowater, Terry Stinger, Virginia King, Fatu Feu’u, Julia Oram and Gregor Kregar.
The Gows are reportedly planning to leave some permanent sculpture works at the property for the new owners but may keep some for their private collection and rehome others.
John Gow had an illustrious career financing musical theatre in New York, London and Australia, including Cats, Phantom of the Opera and Les Miserables. He and Jo have two children who share their parents’ love of art, theatre, landscaping, travel and philanthropy.
The Gows’ philanthropic projects have seen them work with Auckland Art Gallery, Art Space, Auckland Festival, Silo and Q Theatre, Sculpture on the Gulf and many more.
The logistics of moving all of the art would be near impossible, as a number of the works were commissioned especially to work with the landscape.
Speculation is that some of the existing works will appear at the biennial Sculpture on the Gulf, or be placed in other fine homes on Waiheke whose owners want to grow their collections.
The Gows, who have allowed viewing of the artworks on guided walks, are understood to be still taking bookings to tour the park for the upcoming summer season.
Multimillionaire identical twins Matthew and Adam Harris are the men often spotted about town driving a McLaren 720S Coupe and a Porsche 911 Targa 4 GTS, respectively, and regularly taking meetings at Amano in Auckland’s Britomart precinct.
The 41-year-olds share smart offices in High St and often post their glamorous-looking globetrotting adventures on social media – from visiting the best places in the south of France, to choppers, private jets, super yachts, fabulous dining experiences and lavish proposals in Paris.
But beneath surface appearances of these globetrotting siblings, who are understood to be worth tens of millions of dollars, is a story of two hard-working boys from Hawke’s Bay, living their respective dreams.
Society Insider caught up with the pair, fresh from a session with Paddy Flavell, personal trainer to numerous rich-listers.
Hesitant at first to have the light shone on them, the pair was happy to put into context the luxury brand building and good times they show on social media.
At their offices, where a neon sign hangs on the wall reading “Need money for real estate”, the brothers say the secret to their success is, “Setting goals, having good systems, showing up every day and being consistent”.
Matthew is the managing director of Lighthouse Financial Services, where he helps clients grow and protect their wealth and obtain financial freedom.
Adam is head of digital at NZ Digital, a leading online design business.
They say their focus is on providing services that help others to succeed.
“We have a particular synergy with property professionals. We help this industry to engage and qualify potential customers through optimised customer interactions,” says Adam.
They grew up in rural Hawke’s Bay and attended Napier Boys’ High School.
At Massey University, Matthew studied commerce and accounting, and Adam design.
Matthew then worked for Inland Revenue for nine years, and in the early part of his career, Adam worked in newspapers and agencies before starting NZ Digital.
“During this time, we also started multiple side businesses and discovered an interest in property, buying and renovating houses in Hawke’s Bay,” Adam tells Society Insider.
“Due to our upbringing, we were very hands-on, often doing a lot of the work on these properties ourselves,” says Adam.
“Working together is something that came naturally as it was clear that our skill sets were complementary and being twins, we were naturally close and a high level of trust exists between us,” says Matthew.
The pair started together in business with Brooklyn Property Group, which concentrates on building in-fill townhouses.
When Adam started NZ Digital, it was the catalyst for Matthew to also start looking at opportunities to go out on his own as an adviser.
“This is when an early version of Lighthouse began,” says Matthew.
Deciding to grow their property portfolio, they focused on buying and repairing earthquake-damaged properties in Christchurch.
“The opportunity was that it was easy to identify undervalued damaged properties and add value and repair them and keep going,” Matthew says.
He was the first to move to Auckland nine years ago, followed by Adam a year later, where they continued to grow their property development portfolio.
Their first development project was a five-lot townhouse development in Papatoetoe in 2022 which they say was a great success.
Over the last few years, both of the brothers say their businesses have performed well and continue to grow, despite market conditions.
“We currently employ 36 people fulltime and have several additional roles we are trying to fill,” says Matthew.
“We have planned a new central city office to accommodate the growth of both businesses.”
They are proud to have some of their family members involved in the business.
“Our mother Fiona is the office manager. Our younger brother Alex runs the development business and our cousin AJ (Andrew) is a director and shareholder at Lighthouse.”
A new member is set to join the Harris clan – Irish-born physiotherapist Emma-Louise Loftus, to whom Matthew proposed at Paris’ Montmartre in September. The couple met in Auckland via a mutual friend in 2021.
“We moved in together in 2022 and the rest is history,” says Matthew. “We share a love of health and fitness, travel and languages.”
While he had planned the proposal in meticulous detail, Loftus had no idea it was coming.
“I had thrown a few red herrings to put her off before our trip,” Matthew says.
“I had managed to hide the ring – a 2.5 Carat Natural Pear shape diamond, custom made by Alex Patchett at Aurea Fine Jewellery in Herne Bay – for five weeks as we travelled around Europe until we got to Paris.
“When I dropped the knee, she was caught totally by surprise and the moment was captured by a photographer whom I had hired to hide and snap some photos of the proposal.
“Montmartre is a truly spectacular part of Paris and was perfect for a proposal. Afterwards we celebrated with a bottle of champagne at Hotel Particulier.”
The couple travel to Europe annually to catch up with friends and family.
“Paris is a special place we return to each year,” Matthew says.
Both brothers are fans of the culture France has to offer and are perfecting their use of the language in studies here and with the locals in France.
They enjoy the mix of beaches, shopping and socialising the south of France offers.
Matthew’s favourite spots are Villefranche-sur-Mer and Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, whilst Adam prefers Nice, but is also a fan of Lake Como in Italy.
Adam says they keep a healthy balance between building their networks, keeping in tip-top physical shape, and socialising. Amano, Gilt and Baduzzi are their favourite Auckland haunts.
Matthew says wedding plans are in their early stages, but one thing is certain, Adam will be his best man.
New Zealand designers Paris Mitchell Temple and Georgia Cherrie of fashion label Paris Georgia celebrated their latest collection at Rita’s Dining in London’s Soho last week.
Career Girl, a T-shirt collection, was created in collaboration with British artist Joe Sweeney.
Mitchell Temple, Cherrie and Sweeney were joined by star New Zealand jeweller Rachel Sloane of Naveya and Sloane, whose pieces added extra sparkle to the collaboration.
Michael Hill conceptualises in Queenstown
It was cocktails, champagne and canapes last Wednesday evening when fine jewellery brand Michael Hill hosted an intimate celebration to mark the opening of its new concept boutique store in Queenstown – the home of founders Sir Michael Hill and Lady Christine.
The evening was hosted by Michael Hill chief marketing officer, Jo Feeney, alongside Sir Michael and Lady Christine Hill. The Hills’ love and creative partnership with the brand for more than 45 years was celebrated throughout the evening.
The event was the first opportunity for guests to experience firsthand Michael Hill’s brand transformation with attendees including Queenstown Mayor Glyn Lewers, Michael Hill chairman Rob Fyfe and wife Sara, The Hills executive general manager Rob Selley, rich-lister Peter Huljich and wife Sarah, musician Stan Walker and wife Lou, NRL great Shaun Johnson and wife Kayla, and interior design personality Shelley Ferguson.
The Newmarket Business Awards
The Newmarket Business Association held its annual business awards last Friday evening to a packed ballroom of nearly 400 at the Cordis Hotel in Symonds St.
Act leader and MP for Epsom David Seymour was acting Prime Minister on the evening and gave a welcome in te reo Māori. Seymour’s date for the night was his partner, property expert Alexandra Vincent Martelli.
Seymour welcomed Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith and Auckland Deputy Mayor Desley Simpson, and showed support for Simpson as future Auckland mayor, citing her great work for the city. He called current Mayor Wayne Brown, who was not in attendance, grumpy, and promised the crowd “don’t worry, I call him that to his face”.
Newmarket Business Association CEO Mark Knoff-Thomas ran the night’s proceedings to perfection.
Fortune Manning Lawyers took out the night’s Supreme and Business of the Year awards. Arte Della Pasta won Restaurant of the Year; Italian shoe brand Scarpa won Retailer of the Year; French gourmet retailer Maison Vauron won the People’s Choice Award. The Newmarket Legend of the Year award went to Chinese restaurant Pearl Garden, which will be celebrating 50 years of business next year.
Bravo celebration
Warner Bros Discovery ANZ and NBCUniversal teamed up last Thursday night to celebrate the strength of their partnership and a big year ahead on Bravo NZ. The glamorous event took place at Mantells in Mt Eden, hosted by Dominic Bowden. He interviewed Bravo’s Below Deck star and proud Kiwi, Aesha Scott, as well as NBCUniversal’s managing director, distribution, networks and DTC ANZ, Chris Taylor, and Warner Bros Discovery ANZ vice-president head of networks, Juliet Peterson.
Ricardo Simich has been with the Herald since 2008 where he contributed to The Business Insider. In 2012 he took over Spy at the Herald on Sunday, which has since evolved into Society Insider. The weekly column gives a glimpse into the worlds of the rich and famous.
Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.