What's your job about?
The Property Group (TPG) are a specialist property consultancy that operates throughout New Zealand. My role is as a Planning Consultant in the Wellington planning team.
My typical week comprises preparing resource consent applications for clients and processing applications on behalf of various territorial authorities. While the process is relatively straightforward, consenting tasks occasionally include changes to conditions or changes to interests on property titles, such as consent notices.
Sometimes I undertake other planning-based tasks, such as due diligence reports, removal of designations, and research into the status of properties from a planning perspective. I work closely with Planners in different regions, as well as those in other areas of the business such as property consultants.
As a graduate, I also spend time undertaking different types of training, including mentor discussions, external seminars, and TPG based learning opportunities.
What's your background?
I grew up in rural Otorohanga, small-town south of Hamilton. After high school, I obtained a communications degree from Unitec, which enabled me to work in the events industry in Auckland, Perth, and Hamilton. The majority of events that I worked on were in the property sector, and exposure to this industry influenced my choice to become a planner when returned to university to study a second time. While I loved being an event manager, it wasn’t an easy balance with a young child.
I originally started a Bachelor of Planning at Waikato University full-time, however, saw the benefit of transferring to the postgraduate degree at Massey. I studied part-time while working in an event role and eventually also picked up a part-time role as an assistant planner for a small multidisciplinary engineering firm.
A lifestyle change meant relocating from Hamilton to Wellington. Around this time, I attended a seminar held by TPG about their graduate programme, which was targeted at Property Consultants rather than planners. As I was certain I wanted to have a planning role, I contacted TPG directly to see if they had any vacancies in their Wellington office, and I was successful in obtaining a full-time Planning Consultant role in August 2021.
When I started in this role, I was completing the last paper of my postgraduate diploma.
I am continuing with my masters degree part-time, which would be recognised by the New Zealand Planning Institute (NZPI).
Could someone with a different background do your job?
When I made the decision to change Planning career, I made the choice to return to study to realise this opportunity. I also purposefully selected qualifications that were recognised by NZPI as I saw benefit in this having worked in membership organisations before.
When I asked Planners if I knew what a career in Planning was all about, they said a lot of reading and a lot of writing! While this is true, it is a lot more than that. While you need to be able to communicate, you also common sense, a willingness to ask questions, and dedication to always be learning.
What's the coolest thing about your job?
I like that my job provides me with the opportunity to learn. While that is somewhat cliché, it is what keeps it interesting. I might be working on several projects concurrently including processing a rural subdivision, writing a consent for a sculpture, or researching what the history of a site is to determine if a user has been lawfully established and has existing use rights.
I also enjoy knowing that my role is somewhat self-directed. If I have a particular interest in a certain area of Planning, I can discuss that with my manager and look for opportunities in that area.
What are the limitations of your job?
As my mentors told me – there is a lot of reading and a lot of writing. There is also a lot of information to learn and gaining that knowledge can be required to be self-directed. I think you have to be motivated to be a Planner and have an interest in the environment around us.
3 pieces of advice for your university-self?