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The Business of Land Development

Updated: Nov 20

Opportunity doesn't wait

The past two years have taught us to expect the unexpected.

Market commentators could not have predicted, that despite never-before-seen levels of economic uncertainty, Aotearoa would see a consistently low unemployment rate, as well as runaway growth in the residential housing market.

November 2021 saw a new all-time record in NZ housing consents, with 48,522 approvals for the year to date. That was not a stand-alone figure, but merely another record in a series of months. This is a headache we wanted as Land Development Consultants, right? Absolutely!

To keep it interesting, throw in international and local freight, logistics, and building materials shortages, as well as government-orchestrated headwinds to the financial lending environment and suddenly you have a lot more to consider than the regular day-to-day activities involved in Land Development. Did we mention the toughest labour market in living memory, across both white-collar and blue-collar roles?

Suddenly business acumen becomes an even more critical skill set in project delivery.


Clients need business-savvy service providers.


At Terra, we take our customer’s journey very seriously. Residential housing developments have a number of moving parts that can be stressful and at times challenging to piece together smoothly.


Service providers often work in silos without consideration for the domino effect and ultimate business outcomes for the client. Consider an easy example where architects write material specs into their designs which include materials that are in low supply. How does that affect the client’s deadlines, contractual agreements, obligations to financiers, inflationary costs and subcontractors further down the line?


Right from the start, we want to understand what our client’s business requires and what good delivery looks like.

When we understand the objectives and challenges for our clients, our team of technical and business savvy professionals can deliver solutions that both meet and strengthen our client’s project requirements.

So, what does that look like?
  • Consultation that is comprehensive, personalised, and client-profit focused. We help you by adding value to the entire process, including often overlooked areas such as sales and promotions plans.

  • Assistance with investment and securing of land.

  • Liaise and gain certification with local councils. We talk to the local council and other regulatory authorities, to discuss development controls such as, density, earthworks, roading, stormwater, sewer, water supply, electricity to understand how to design the project so as to meet regulatory compliance and be granted Resource Consent.

  • Coordination of all necessary multidisciplined efforts on the project.

  • Working with experts in their field, who then also know how to work with other experts.

  • Feasibility investigations that reveal the scope of opportunities on the land.

  • Concept designs that are modern and well thought out.

  • Project plans and project management.

  • Contract administration which can be a make-or-break part of any successful land development project. We provide experienced guidance throughout the tendering process as well as administering the construction contract.

  • Financial controls are managed effectively throughout the life of the construction contract so that there are no unnecessary surprises and cash flow management is a lot easier.

  • We help produce construction completion certificates for your developed site.

  • Provide you with recommendations on existing designs regarding possible improvements to lift yield and reduce cost, with a strong focus on maximising returns.


Easy to work with and quality-focused.

Land development can be a highly rewarding, positive and profitable experience.


At Terra Consultants we want to ensure that you achieve that outcome each and every time. While we can offer all the beforementioned expertise, it’s also important that we’re a down-to-earth company that is easy to work with and easy to work for.


Our team is ready to apply our experience and business acumen to help make your dream land development project a reality.




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