More than 200 business leaders from Ray White New Zealand converged on Auckland’s Eden Park last week for the group’s annual Business Leaders Symposium, a two-day event built around leadership, high performance and the network’s position as a market leader.
Held on 12 and 13 October, the event marked a milestone in Ray White’s partnership with New Zealand Rugby, with the opening day delivered by the All Blacks Performance Labs and facilitated by high-performance coach Nerolie Curran.
The program drew on the leadership philosophies and preparation behind the All Blacks and Black Ferns, translating them into strategies for business.
Ray White New Zealand chief executive Daniel Coulson said the partnership went beyond brand alignment.
“Our partnership with New Zealand Rugby is about much more than aligning two iconic brands,” he said.
“It’s about creating meaningful opportunities for our people to learn from the very best and bring those lessons back into their businesses.”
Speakers on day one included former All Blacks coach Sir Graham Henry, two-time Rugby World Cup winner Conrad Smith, former All Black Keven Mealamu and Black Fern Kennedy Tukuafu.
Sir Graham spoke to the transformation of the All Blacks’ leadership culture, including humility and hunger, collective ownership and a commitment to improvement. Conrad spoke on creating an environment where individuals feel valued and empowered to perform under pressure, while Kennedy addressed leading with care and accountability. Keven, who played 132 Tests for the All Blacks, reflected on belonging and maintaining the standards that define successful teams.
Workshops throughout the day examined mindset, belonging, accountability and the balance between care and challenge, built around the distinction between a team of champions and a championship team.
“One of the most powerful messages from the day was that great teams don’t happen by accident,” Daniel said.
“They are built through deliberate leadership, strong relationships and a willingness to continually challenge what good looks like. For our business owners, that is an incredibly valuable mindset to take back to their teams.”
Day two turned to the real estate business itself, with sessions on recruitment and talent development, customer outcomes, technology and data, and operational standards. Discussion centred on stock management, auction performance and the use of data to help agents make more informed decisions for customers, alongside demonstrations of how artificial intelligence is being integrated into real estate businesses to lift productivity and free up time for client-facing work.
The group also shared results from its professional development programs and flagged further leadership, sales and property management training for 2027.
Daniel said sustaining market leadership required continual change rather than complacency.
“Market leadership isn’t something you achieve and then protect by standing still,” he said.
“It requires us to keep evolving, to make brave decisions and to challenge ourselves to do the ordinary things extraordinarily well.
“We have an incredible network of business owners, and our responsibility is to give them the leadership, tools, technology and support to build exceptional businesses and deliver better outcomes for their customers.”