The current residential market remains positive with new buyers coming into the area weekly.Generally, quality properties in Central Otago are still attracting multi-offers, while some properties at the lower end have been less attractive as first home buyers and investors are few and far between. So far the downturn predicted is proving to be the opposite for Central Otago. However, this may change over the coming months depending on the housing supply and demand and rising interest rates. Central Otago is least likely to be affected as many buyers are now choosing Central and Lakes areas as their destination to work from.  Buyers are staking out the greater Central Otago area, canvassing Cromwell, Omakau, Alexandra, Wanaka and Queenstown, more than ever before. People used to just look in one town if they were planning on moving. Covid-19 has had a large influence on this drift south as employees and entreprenuers relocate away from densely populated main centres. The lifestyle areas of New Zealand have so much to offer – and we’re seeing people want to return to the simple life of yesteryear. This trend will impact positively over coming months. Buyers see that there is good value for money in Central and are more than happy to travel an hour or so, ‘driving through paradise’ for their commute or to get to Queenstown Airport.  Our bike trails are also opening up this area to the rest of the world, events like The Prospector, Crankworx and also the Lake Dunstan trail showcasing the playground that is Central Otago and the lakes.I look forward to continuing to bring you regular information and updates about the market and property related topics in coming months. Meet Peter Hishon, Business Owner Tall Poppy Real EstatePeter started in real estate in 2014 and joined Tall Poppy as a franchise owner in 2018. Along with supporting his team of salespeople he has had great success across Central Otago. With a background in sales and negotiation working as a stock agent it was an easy transition to helping clients buy and sell property. Peter placed second in the Tall Poppy annual national sales awards in 2019 and 2020. His agency was also the best medium sized agency nationwide for Tall Poppy in 2021. He was rated as agent of the year for Alexandra and Clyde both in 2020 and 2021.

More than ever we’re all under increased pressure in our workplaces – it might be due to Omicron’s impact on our teams, or the labour shortage making it hard to recruit and retain people, or there simply not being enough hours in the day.It’s imperative that business leaders communicate effectively with their teams and embrace their business values in stressful times.If you pride yourself on having family values in your business, then make sure you uphold these when it really matters.That means supporting employees to look after children who are unwell or letting them take time off to ferry elderly relatives to appointments.If one of your values is being results driven, make sure your processes measure results, and staff need to understand how their role and performance directly impacts results.Another core business value is open communication – do your existing communications techniques reach your staff in the ways you want it to? Do you need to consider new communications methods?Why not consider putting your health and safety information, or your welcome presentation into a video format to make it fun and engaging. This is going to appeal to younger employees are used to digestible video content thanks to tik tok, snapchat and Facebook.With all the technology that can support us to communicate now, why not have your next video call on a sunny trail around Central and take a walking meeting to recharge.Having clear business values and employing staff who are aligned with these values will help set you up for success.Meet Cherilyn Walthew, Director and HR Business Partner EASI NZ2021 was the 25-year anniversary for Cherilyn in the Human Resources sector which has crossed over many industries. Having started as a specialist IT recruiter, Cherilyn’s career has moved from sales and servicing to relationship management and strategic planning. She returned to NZ in 2010 after spending 17 years living and working in the UK and Ireland. Outside of work the Wanaka local lives on a 8 acre property near Hawea. Together with her husband they make pickles and jams under the brand Pirate Pickles.

For many people your insurance can be ‘set and forget’ purchase, but in times like these with building costs escalating and rebuild timelines increasing you need to review your home and commercial building insurance regularly.Your sum insured is how much your house or building is ensured for. Having the right level of cover provides confidence that you will be able to rebuild or repair your home or building and secure your family or business future but it also ensures that you’re only paying for cover you actually need.Our advice is that you check your sum insured every years. Right no w as building labour is scarce and building materials are going up in price we’re encouraging our clients to make sure their sum insured are at the right value.The role of a broker is to add value to your decision making – we can ensure you remember to factor additional things in that you might miss.For example when setting your sum insured have you thought about accounting for any extra professional fees you might incur if you do have to rebuild your home such as an architect or designer?What about extra costs to clear the site or demolish your home if it is partially damaged by a fire? This is usually in the realm of another $30-50k.There are different ways you can insure your home, either up to the sum insured value or replacement sqm. It’s important to understand the difference. There is a great online tool that is easy to use for homes. The Cordell Calculator is an independent tool that uses information from a variety of third party sources and typical rebuild costs for homes with similar materials and features. All you need to do is enter your address and check the information is complete and accurately describes your home. For commercial buildings insurers are likely to request an insurance valuation every 2-3 years. There is a range of valuers in the region and we are happy to share their details with you.We look forward to sharing more tips and case studies to demystify insurance for Central App readers in our columns. Dewald de Beer, C & R Insurance. PHOTO: SuppliedMeet Dewald de BeerDewald has over 20 years’ experience in business and sales management. Together with his family he made Alexandra home in January 2017. He joined the team at C & R Insurance in June 2019. His passion for business, serving the community and being part of positive change is core to his values and commitment towards the region and its people. He enjoys spending time with his family, golf, tennis, lawn bowls and making music. C & R Insurance is a locally owned and operated company. They live and work in the same communities as their customers, and are on a first-name basis with them.