Ray White’s Lawrence Kenyon-Slade has rapidly become one of New Zealand’s top agents, reaching Elite status in his first year and Chairman’s Elite in his second—an achievement that places him in the top 1% of the network.
Servicing Manukau, Mangere, Mangere Bridge and Manurewa in south Auckland, Lawrence explained to Bianca Denham, Ray White’s Head of Recognition and Performance, that he operates in largely working-class areas with a median sale price of around $900,000.
With a focus on high volume, his team of five now runs an auction-based model that delivers results faster than the average—22 days on market compared to 40–60 for private treaty.
Kenyon-Slade’s rise was not without personal and professional challenges. After growing up in South Africa, he migrated to New Zealand and completed a Bachelor of Property (Honours) at the University of Auckland.
He later overcame significant health issues and social anxiety, and made the leap into sales after a year in commercial property management.
His entry into residential real estate coincided with a sharp market downturn. His first sale took five months, and he nearly ran out of savings. But within three months of gaining momentum, he sold 12 properties and hired his first team member.
From there, every 20 sales meant another hire. He now delegates open homes and buyer work to associates while focusing on appraisals, vendor engagement, and negotiation.
The team conducts up to 21 appraisals a week, makes 100–120 calls daily, and sends out 3,000 vendor letters each week.
Lawrence doesn’t shy away from accountability—team members who can’t meet targets are let go. “If the numbers can’t be achieved, we take a pause,” he says.
A key part of his model is auction. Manukau’s purpose-built in-room auction facility allows for 50 auctions in a day, with Lawrence personally handling around 100 auctions annually.
“Auctions shorten the days on market, create urgency, and bring better outcomes for vendors,” he says.
With his sights set on 150 transactions and $3.6 million in GCI over the next year, Lawrence is also planning to expand his investment portfolio, build a social media presence, and pursue public speaking.
“I view business as a game,” he says. “The goal is to keep challenging myself—and help my team grow too.”
