What are the opening hours?

Monday 9am - 5pm Tuesday 8:30am - 4:30pm Wednesday 8:30am - 4:30pm Thursday 8:30am - 4:30pm Friday 8:30am - 4:30pm

I Am Developer

Home
New Zealand
Auckland
I Am Developer

We are a property development consultancy and creative development studio. We help Kiwis unlock the maximum value from their land.

03/11/2026

“Relax, developers sell these homes for millions.” Every time we post about costs, someone says it.

So here’s my defence of property developers. The margin isn’t greed. It’s the price of risk:

Market: you’re pricing homes you won’t sell for 12 to 18 months.

Finance: your own cash and equity on the line, with interest ticking every day.

Cost: building costs jumped more than 30% in two years over COVID.

Site: you don’t know what’s under the ground until you dig.

Contractor: if your builder goes under, you’re rebuilding at today’s prices.

Time: every week of delay is another week of interest.

Are there bad developers? Of course, like any industry. But plenty are building good homes and doing right by the people they work with.

No margin, no risk-takers. No risk-takers, no new homes.

Agree or disagree?

29/10/2026

Day 41 on our resource consent.   So I asked Council for an update, and they confirmed it in writing: the application has gone past the 20 working days the RMA allows. 
Council’s excuse: recent law changes. Meanwhile, the clock keeps ticking on your interest, holding costs and plans. So: 
1. Plan for months, not 20 days. Build the delay into your finance and holding costs from day one.
2. Track the clock yourself. Asking with the actual number gets a real answer.
5. If your consent runs late, ask whether you’re owed a discount on the processing fees. 
Thinking about a subdivision or development? Book a free 15-minute call, link in bio. 

28/10/2026

Subdividing? These three costs catch people out. 
1. Watercare’s infrastructure growth charge (IGC) is $25,520 + GST per new lot (2026/27), for a single new water meter.  
2. Civil works to connect power, data, water, wastewater and stormwater, plus your driveway, can run anywhere from $20k to $100k+, depending on your site.  
3. And development contributions are approx. $20k per new lot, with some areas much higher, up to $119k. 
Together, they’re often over a third of the total cost of a two-lot subdivision. 
See the full breakdown, stage by stage, on our subdivision process page. Link in bio. 

27/10/2026

The cheapest part of any development is the part a lot of people skip: the feasibility report. 
Before you buy, design or borrow, we check what the zone allows, what could stop or slow you, whether the pipes can take more homes, and roughly what it’ll cost. You get your options and a clear go or no-go. 
Sometimes the answer is don’t do it. That’s still the best money you’ll spend. 
Thinking about a site? Book a free 15-minute call, link in bio. 

26/10/2026

Thinking about subdividing?  We’ve mapped the whole process: every stage, how long it takes, who’s involved and what it costs, from first feasibility to new titles.  You can also download the full subdivision flow chart as a PDF, free. 
Tap the link in our bio, or head to subdivision.iamdeveloper.co.nz  FYI it looks good on your phone, but even better on desktop. 

22/10/2026

Another resource consent approved! Here’s what that actually means, and what it doesn’t. 
Our Wai O Taiki Bay project just got the green light: four new homes and a four-lot subdivision, under a joint land-use and subdivision consent. Approved doesn’t mean you can start building yet, but it’s one hell of a stage to get ticked off. Building consent and engineering plan approval come next. 
Lodged in May, approved in October. Huge thanks to the team who got this over the line: Blueprint Planning, Tripp Andrews, The Traffic Group, Shire Engineering and PeoplePlaceNature_nz. 
Got a site in mind? Book a free consultation at iamdeveloper.co.nz, or tap the link in our bio. 

20/10/2026

Thinking about subdividing but don’t know where to start? Here’s the whole process in four stages: 
01 Plan: feasibility, scheme design, survey and geotech  02 Consent: resource consent, service connections, engineering plan approval  03 Build: surveying and LT plans (223), on-site works (224c)  04 Titles: 223 and 224c approved, lodged with LINZ, new titles 
Save this so you’ve got the flow chart when you need it. Or ask us if you’d like a copy of ours. 
Got a site you’re thinking about? Book a free consultation at iamdeveloper.co.nz, or tap the link in our bio. 

18/10/2026

Possibly the most valuable thing we’ll ever tell you: this won’t work.

A family had held their rental for 23 years. They’d never developed before. The zone said yes, so subdividing off the back and building a duplex looked possible on paper.

But the site was steep. Multiple retaining walls, a difficult driveway to the lower part of the site, and site works that are hard to price until you’re in. Local agents also told us sloping sites sit on the market longer.

Our advice: don’t do it.

18 months later, they sold, freeing up cash for something else.

Most people around a project get paid when you go ahead. We’d rather tell you no before you spend.

Want to know if your site actually works? Book a free consultation at iamdeveloper.co.nz, or tap the link in our bio.

16/10/2026

We’re on day 39. Council has 20 working days under the RMA to process a resource consent. 
The clock stops once, while you answer Council’s questions (an s92 request). After that, it keeps running, even while you’re replying. Of our 48 working days so far, 37 have been with Council and 11 with us. We waited 14 working days for the Council engineer’s reply, and in the end nothing material changed. 
If you’re about to lodge, hope for 20 days, plan for longer, and always keep your eyes on the clock. 
Thinking about subdividing? Book a free consultation at  iamdeveloper.co.nz, or tap the link in our bio. 

15/10/2026

It’s not what you know that trips you up on a development. It’s what you didn’t know to ask.

Zone, wastewater and stormwater, overlays, designations, notable trees, the list goes on. Plenty of people only find out about them after they’ve bought, or after they’ve paid for design.

A free consultation costs you an hour. Link in our bio.

Address

2/11 Smale Street, Point Chevalier
Auckland
1022

Opening Hours

Monday	9am - 5pm
Tuesday	8:30am - 4:30pm
Wednesday	8:30am - 4:30pm
Thursday	8:30am - 4:30pm
Friday	8:30am - 4:30pm

Website

https://linktr.ee/iamdevelopernz

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when I Am Developer posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.