Luke didn’t know what he wanted to do after he left school, so he fell into house-painting and labouring jobs alongside his father, then moved into delivery driving, warehousing, security, lawn-mowing and house cleaning.

At twenty years old, he had a lightbulb moment when he watched a YouTube video about urban design. 

“I noticed there was so much opportunity to create a built environment that was better for our city in terms of liability, sustainability, and attractiveness,” he says.

“I decided that I wanted to be part of forming the built environment, and that property development would be a good medium to tackle this through”.

Luke found out about Unitec's Bachelor of Construction (Property Development) programme when he was researching online and decided that it would be an informative and practical way to learn about property development.  

Both his parents and brother had attended Unitec, and Luke liked the fact that there was a family connection. As he worked through the three-year programme, he found it perfectly matched his desire to gain practical, useful skills that would stand him in good stead when he went into the industry, and he topped the class in his first year. 

“I really enjoyed the practicality of Unitec’s approach,” says Luke. “It wasn't a curriculum filled with abstract concepts. 

“Rather, it was filled with real-life examples from teachers who have actually been involved in the industry. The lessons have been fantastic to draw from in my work to date.”

He says the Unitec experience has been an integral part of his career success, crediting lecturers Linda Kestle and Roger Birchmore with creating valuable industry connections and prompting him to follow up on them. 

“It proved to be the launchpad into my first opportunities – partway through the course I was selected for an internship which then turned into a dream role working for a developer full-time. 

“That’s when I first learnt about managing residential developments, and I learnt from the best in the industry. Those experiences and connections have allowed me to compound into success after success,” he says.

Luke also credits his employer with helping create a pivotal point for him in his career – starting his own business. Two years ago, he founded Bailey Development Partners (BDP),   a consultancy that provides advisory and project management services to other new and experienced developers. 

Leading by example

Over the past two years, his team has been involved in a range of mid-scale infill developments, including his own $6 million project consisting of seven homes in East Auckland.  

Despite this rapid trajectory to success, Luke warns there are potential pitfalls. He advises any aspiring property developers to do whatever they can to get experience in property development first-hand. 

“Development is complex, risky, and there's lots at stake - even on smaller projects,” he says. “It pays to know as much as you can about the process before jumping into the deep end.”

Currently, his team is undertaking due diligence on a project to develop more than a hundred homes which would provide the opportunity to curate an entire community. 

Moving forward, Luke says he’s planning to do larger projects that will have a more significant impact on Auckland and its communities.

“I want to be able to create developments at scale and have a positive impact on how our city is designed and built,” he says. 

“In five years’ time, I hope we'll have a reputation for doing some great projects around Auckland that make progress toward implementing great design and sustainable practices. That would be my dream.”

Luke often goes back to Unitec to talk to current students about his passion for integrating sustainable principles into sensitive property development approaches. He also shares his knowledge via LinkedIn videos, drawing support and praise from many experienced practitioners in the industry.

“Luke’s thinking is refreshing, engaging and well-informed,” says Unitec Associate Professor Linda Kestle. “He’s an inspiration to many of our students who are starting out in the industry and we hope they’ll follow in his footsteps to forge a meaningful and rewarding career in property development.” 

Along with Assoc Prof Kestle, Luke published a joint conference paper on sustainable construction in build-to-rent and build-to-sell development which they presented at AUBEA, a key Australasian industry event, in Melbourne last year.