‘Nigel’s enthusiasm for innovation and his ability to identify opportunities others would consider too complex, or simply unattainable, has identified him as a leading light at the forefront of better management and urban planning.’
Nigel McKenna’s name is synonymous with superior development in New Zealand, and his catalogue of achievements gives you some insight as to why. His pursuit of excellence is born from a long-held affiliation with the land, construction and a profound will to deliver beautiful places where people can be their best. With over thirty years’ experience in the field, coupled with intrepid innovation, Nigel McKenna continues to make his mark on the country’s development landscape, leading Templeton Group to become the country’s foremost developer of new homes and environments for New Zealanders.
If Successes were Numbers
$7B+
TOTAL PROJECT VALUE
Unrivalled investment into national interests and injection into New Zealand’s economy. With each one building on an incomparable record.
5,391
TOTAL UNITS
An extraordinary collection of houses, apartments, townhouses, hotel rooms, sections and more.
$4.8B
HISTORICAL PROJECTS VALUE
Life and heritage restored to some of New Zealand’s most beloved buildings.
Nigel McKenna
FOUNDER & CEO
Templeton Group &
Development Director – Development Advisory Services Limited
Nigel McKenna’s name is synonymous with superior development in New Zealand, and his catalogue of achievements gives you some insight as to why. His pursuit of excellence is born from a long-held affiliation with the land, construction and a profound will to deliver beautiful places where people can be their best. With over 30 years experience in the field, coupled with intrepid innovation, Nigel McKenna continues to make his mark on the country’s development landscape, leading Templeton Group to become the country’s foremost developer of new homes and environments for New Zealanders.
Practice
Areas
Specialise in providing strategic guidance during the critical pre-development and planning phases. Identify opportunities, mitigate risks, and optimise project outcomes.
Whether it’s land acquisition, zoning regulations, or feasibility assessments, our tailored consultations empower to make informed decisions and achieve the development goals.
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Nigel McKenna’s strategic excellence sets the project on the path to success
Making His Mark
Our far-flung island nation had long appealed to McKenna, so, in 1987 he made the move here permanently and quickly asserted himself as a serious performer in development. Wellington’s Shed 5 and Dockside were two of his larger maiden developments in the capital. Following his project management of Auckland’s forty-storey Metropolis for six years, McKenna eventually made the City of Sails his home.
He began taking on projects others would not, armed with vision and know-how, his name is behind the country’s most-loved buildings and precincts. The Beaumont Quarter is one such project. On the land deemed by others as too problematic to develop, McKenna delivered a design-led and much-celebrated medium density housing project, which continues to exemplify superior design and engineering, twenty years on.
Within a quick walk from the Beaumont Quarter, The Lighter Quays constitutes arguably the city’s most impressive project, which again saw the collaboration of international and local engineers, designers and architects, led by McKenna. The area was transformed into a premium master-planned residential community, producing Auckland’s most valuable real estate per square metre.
Further east, the Viaduct is Auckland’s foremost entertainment district drawing tourists and locals to the popular collection of restaurants, bars and residential apartments, developed by McKenna. By the completion of the project McKenna had put Auckland at equal status with the cities he drew inspiration from
“I love the challenge of understanding the environment we’re working with, and how we work with the land.”
With Plaudits
McKenna’s achievements have been widely celebrated, with multiple awards for his work to date. A former Ernst & Young Property Entrepreneur of the year, he has received in excess of 20 individual awards from an array of organisations, from the Institute of Architects and the NZ Property Council to the Ministry for the Environment. In 2006 Nigel was awarded the Auckland City Blue Stone Award for his contribution to the city.
“A common theme to all his projects is a strong focus on design to ensure that the outcome achieved is not only aesthetically attractive but also functional and viable.”
Silver Award of Merit - Issued by Association of Consulting Engineers New Zealand (Inc)
Property Award of Excellence: Multi Unit Residential - Issued by Property Council of New Zealand · Jan 2007
Property Award of Excellence: Multi Unit Residential - Issued by Property Council of New Zealand
National Design Award - Issued by New Zealand Institute of Architects
Mayoral Urban Design Award: People's Choice - Issued by City of Auckland
New Zealand Year of the Built Environment Award - Issued by New Zealand Institute of Architects, Ministry for Urban Affairs
NZIA Resene Award: Multiple Housing - Issued by New Zealand Institute of Architects
National Design Award - Issued by New Zealand Institute of Architects
Property Award of Excellence: Multi-Unit Residential - Issued by Property Council of New Zealand
Regional Design Award - Issued by New Zealand Institute of Architects
Entrepreneur of the Year: Property Construction Issued by Ernst and Young
Interior Design: Hospitality, Highly Commended - Issued by Best Design Awards (Designers Institute)
Commercial Interior Design, Finalist - Issued by Best Design Awards (Designers Institute)
NZIA Resene Award: Hospitality and Tourism - Issued by the New Zealand Institute of Architects
NZIA Resene Award: Hospitality and Tourism - Issued by the New Zealand Institute of Architects
Creating Landmarks
We count every project as noteworthy, though there are some that perfectly exemplify our pioneering spirit. These are projects that were considered by others as unattainable or too problematic. We say they were sites that simply hadn’t been afforded the vision they deserved. Once delivered with success, they set a remarkable new benchmark for superior collaboration, innovation, design and longevity. They are our pioneering projects.
Set in a space other developers couldn’t bring to life, Beaumont Quarter stands as an enduring testament to steadfast design and planning, the quality of which had not been seen.
On the western most edge of the Viaduct Harbour, 16,600 sqm of reclaimed land located between the CBD and St Mary’s Bay was transformed into a premium master-planned residential community, completed in three stages.
The four-star Sebel Hotel is part of the wider Viaduct Precinct, which transformed Auckland’s waterfront into a destination that has endured since it was conceived and developed decades ago.
Auckland is home to a number of historic buildings, but few are as unique and well-preserved as the Chambers and Station. These two buildings, located in the heart of Mt Eden, were originally built in 1912 and 1925, respectively.
The Quadrant Hotel Group, a brainchild of Nigel, was conceived to challenge the status quo and break away from the cookie-cutter approach that had become synonymous with hotels.
New Zealand’s most prolific developer
Nigel McKenna
A Track Record of Excellence
In the ensuing years, he has delivered world-class award-winning hotels, including Sofitel – Lighter Quay, Sebel, Quadrant, and Rydges Wellington — curated spaces where guests live to play, love to stay, and long to return. He produced celebrated master-planned communities like Stonefields, Long Ba and Bremner Ridge, which have proved to be master classes in superior design and urban planning. Widening his scope, McKenna undertook the rejuvenation of much-loved heritage buildings, with the DFS Galleria project and Chambers & Station- a former council chamber and fire station, producing six luxury apartments with the utmost sensitivity and restoration of its heritage values.
In what he describes as his ‘passion project,’ the McLaren building is McKenna’s next heritage venture. He will embark on revisiting the historic former garage and birthplace of legendary New Zealander, Bruce McLaren. It’s a true legacy project working alongside the McLaren family, celebrating the McLaren name and putting the hugely significant building back on the map.
Media
McKenna has a solid commercial track record and also a strong artistic bent he aims to apply to the Hamilton project.
The still conditional hotel deal involving Templeton would see his company buy properties at 242-254 Victoria St from the city council.
When you hear a “chic New York-style hotel” has opened with such features as a glass-roofed ‘Winter Garden’, a luxe lounge with a carefully curated library, and a co-working space that doubles as a gallery for local artworks
Karangahape Road, arguably Auckland’s coolest street
