A decision to concentrate on commercial and industrial development rather than venture into residential building has paid off handsomely for David McAlpine, whose Kea Property Group has become the dominant player in the North Harbour area, north of the Auckland Harbour Bridge.
Established in 1980, Kea has developed properties worth more than $1.2 billion covering 254,000sq m and a roof area that would cover 42 rugby fields. Indeed, Kea buildings are now occupied by 325 North Shore companies including multinational clients such as Ingram Micro – the world’s largest distributor of computer and technology products.
Told by an acquaintance that there was no money in developing in North Harbour was “one of the defining moments,” according to McAlpine, whose early developments were in the Wairau Valley when North Harbour and Albany consisted of farming and orchards.
With a property portfolio valued at more than $90 million, McAlpine owns several landmark buildings including an $11m industrial site covering 9630sq m in Wairau Valley and Kea’s $6.9m head office on The Strand in Takapuna.
For the past 20 years, McAlpine has been assisted by business partner Zane Gifford, a keen yachtsman, who has a 50/50 shareholding in properties worth more than $60m. McAlpine’s daughter, Sarah, also works for Kea after completing a bachelor of property degree at the University of Auckland.
Nowadays, the future of the business is in Hobsonville, Silverdale and Warkworth as the North Harbour area expands, and Kea prides itself on the quality of the product it produces. McAlpine has said his greatest achievement is providing a building legacy for the future generations and creating the Kea brand.
Born in Warkworth and educated at Kelston Boys High School, McAlpine started work at Fletcher, as a quantity surveying cadet, where he also met his wife of 40 years, Deidre. The couple are keen golfers who are often seen at charity golfing events, and their son Scott has enjoyed a successful amateur golfing career in New Zealand and the US.
Like many successful North Shore businesspeople, McAlpine was inducted into the North Harbour Business Hall of Fame in 2018, with acknowledgements about his competitive nature and how beneath the tough exterior “beats a very generous heart.”
In addition to being a major sponsor of North Harbour Rugby, netball and soccer, McAlpine has served on several North Shore sports boards and as a trustee of North Harbour Stadium, which he helped build.
The couple live in a $6.3m home in Devonport and have getaways in Omaha Beach and Arrowtown.