Australian serviced apartment manager Urban Rest has added more than 60 upmarket Auckland city and fringe apartments to its corporate accommodation mix, after buying out local short-term renting firm Urban Butler.
In March, the Sydney-based company announced it would manage 34 units on behalf of its corporate clientele at Kiwi Property Group's Resido build-to-rent development at Sylvia Park.
Under the terms of the deal the team at Urban Butler – a company founded in 2017 and headed by Jon Lawry – will move across to Urban Rest and will manage what is now almost a 100-unit portfolio.
Outside of the Resido units, the Urban Butler portfolio includes apartments at the Pacifica, Wynyard Quarter and Ponsonby.
Lawry said about 80% of the group's business was aimed at "blue chip" international corporates, across tech, film and other emerging industries.
The firm's platform also includes properties in Australia, Dublin and London.
Labour MP Willie Jackson will be the first Māori to debate at the Oxford Union.
Jackson will debate the motion “This House Believes British Museums are not Very British” on May 23.
He will be debating against the motion with American author Gary Vikan and a student speaker. Opposing them are former British Labour Shadow Minister for Immigration Bell Ribeiro-Addy and former Conservative Minister for Culture, Communications and Creative Industries Lord Vaizey of Didcot PC and a student speaker.
“I am proud and humbled to be the first Māori to debate at the Oxford Union and to continue my advocacy for the rights of Māori at one of the most prestigious debating societies in the world,” Jackson said.