Planting seeds, building houses - an update on Shane and Anna Brealey

Shane and Anna Brealey continue to inspire us with their approach to strategic philanthropy and their commitment to addressing one of the root causes of inequity in Aotearoa: the lack of affordable housing.

In this video filmed for the NZ Herald (note that you require subscriber access to view), Shane talks about their latest initiative: a productivity hub (pictured above) which has opened at Simplicity Living’s Reiputa development in Mt Wellington, Auckland. The hub aims to “plant seeds” and encourage others to copy their model by showcasing “how we do our business; how we build; the way our financial model works; all of our designs; and we’re opening this up to try to help the industry perhaps learn a better, faster more cost-effective way of delivering medium to high density housing.”

Shane previously shared the pair’s extraordinary giving story with us at A Day in Glen Innes when he spoke about their ten-year plan to gift their expertise, influence and connections to Simplicity Living, a partnership that aims to deliver one million years of warm, affordable housing for Aotearoa New Zealand.

Since that event, Simplicity Living has delivered (or is close to delivering) 14 build-to-rent developments. The hub invites other developers to take everything the Brealeys and Simplicity Living have learned and build on it to ramp up the availability of dry, warm, affordable housing in New Zealand. Simplicity is currently taking bookings from people interested in visiting the hub between now and October 2024, click here for more information and to reserve a spot.

Ka rawe Shane and Anna! We can’t think of a better example of what can be achieved through partnering powerfully and giving thoughtfully.