A key strength of Century 21 New Zealand is the significant role its many female franchise owners, salespeople, property and office managers play nationwide.
One of the highest profile women for over a decade in the well-known rest estate company has been Derryn Mayne.
The energetic and successful realtor has owned Century 21 Gold Real Estate in South Auckland for the past 13 years. In fact, she boldly opened the Manurewa-based franchise during the Global Financial Crisis.
"I started my business in 2008 which was a really difficult time in real estate. However, through a lot of hard work, we broke into the local market to be in a strong position to succeed when better times followed," says Derryn.
Since then, she has won numerous Australasian real estate awards and was inducted into Century 21's prestigious 'Hall of Fame' in 2017. Two years later, Derryn bought a 25% stake of Century 21 New Zealand from Charles Tarbey, owner of Century 21 Australasia.
Down the road, the company's newest franchise has opened in central Manukau. Within six months, Century 21 Fairdeal Realty has grown its team to 16 busy people.
On South Auckland's Lambie Drive, the female co-directors Rupinder Kaur and Surbani Sandhu hit the ground running. They say working under Century 21's well recognised global brand and unparalleled network has only boosted their local success.
"We had a vision of opening a boutique style office, instilling a new culture, and adopting a fresh approach to real estate. Century 21's stylish brand and its reputation for superior service fitted our aspirations perfectly. What's more, the technology available to the sales team is incredibly impressive," says Rupinder.
Fairdeal Realty's team is squarely focused on some of South Auckland's key residential growth areas and the country's fastest developing and changing neighbourhoods. And, yes, the sales team are already winning awards.
In 2019, Rebecca Fraser became the proud new owner of Century 21 Gadsby Realty in Te Awamutu. Her team has enjoyed significant success since.
Previously Rebecca was the Business Manager for Learning Matters Limited. She also has extensive legal experience as a registered legal executive specialising in conveyancing with law firms in Waikato.
"We passionately drive a real team approach when it comes to sales. We draw on each other's individual strengths to create the best possible results, with vendors always put first. We are incredibly proud of the team we inherited and have built since," she says.
Gadsby Reality has also been busy winning Century 21 awards, with their success often making the local paper.
In fact, for the first quarter of 2021, the well-known Waikato franchise on Te Awamutu's Alexandra Street was ranked as the top office across the country.
On the sunny Kapiti Coast, Rebecca Houghton owns Century 21 A1 Realty based in Raumati South. Flying the flag in Christchurch, Ria Leung owns Century 21 Aurora Real Estate in Riccarton.
In North Waikato, Barbara Craig owns Rural & Residential Real Estate on the main street of Huntly, while Esme Cole owns Century 21 Platinum Real Estate on George Street in Tuakau.
Down the other end of Waikato, and at the southern end of Australasia's largest freshwater lake, is the township of Turangi.
Wai Johnson owns Turangi's Century 21 Premier with the franchise at the forefront of some huge price growth in the local housing market.
"Turangi real estate has seen an explosion over the past three or four years, with the 3,000-person town and surrounding area only getting more popular. Property management is also a big part of our work, keeping my tight team very busy," says Wai.
"With Taupo getting more expensive, many permanent residents and holidaymakers are opting for Turangi instead. What's more, our locality is key, with ongoing Waikato Expressway improvements and Wellington's Transmission Gully set to make the Central North Island even closer for many," says Wai.
Century 21 has a long and successful history in Turangi, with a strong connect to the business community. Over the years, the Turangi team has organised several annual charity evenings and Easter auctions. Fundraising proceeds have gone to the Greenlea Rescue Helicopter, St John Youth and the local Coastguard.
Owner of Century 21 Stevens Realty in Mangakino, Christine Stevens, describes another former hydro-electricity town as 'paradise in the middle of the North Island'.
"Mangakino is only a 40-minute drive to either Taupo or Rotorua, and only 20 minutes to Tokoroa. What's more it's just over an hour and a half to either Hamilton or the ski fields. And it has great freshwater fishing, boating, hunting, golfing, and cycle tracks," she says.
Christine says many Kiwis have discovered the quaint town, buying up many of the affordable former Ministry of Works two-bedroom cottages.
"Working for yourself in such a serene location is food for the soul as they say," says the local identity and Century 21 legend.
Back to Auckland, and long-time Century 21 personalities Annette Edwards and daughter Vicki Southgate are the female faces of Century 21 Edwards Realty in Botany.
The East Auckland franchise owners have long been achieving great results for their clients. Over the years Annette has sold hundreds of houses, while Vicki continually wins Property Manager and Property Management Office awards.
Century 21's rebranding a few years ago was well-received internationally and New Zealand was no exception. They say dropping the world-famous yellow jackets and adopting a sleek new look has particularly resonated with women.
"Obviously we're a family and have long operated as a family business. What we continue to enjoy about Century 21 is its family atmosphere nationally. The company now has so many women in leadership roles, with Century 21 always there to support and empower," says Vicki.
Annette says the nationwide group of franchise owners are committed to growing Century 21's market share in New Zealand. She says with everyone so passionate about the brand, it's easy to promote Century 21 franchise opportunities to others.
To find out more about the benefits of becoming a part of Century 21's global network, visit www.c21.co.nz/joining-century-21 or contact tim.kearins@century21.co.nz