The latest chapter of Peter Cooper's flagship Britomart development in Auckland is the building of the 100-room Hotel Britomart, which started construction late last year.
It represents the next phase in the 15-year urban renewal of the heritage waterfront precinct and is another feather in his hat.
Already the hospitality area has a striking central feature of pouwhenua, carved wooden marking posts, each representing a member of the Cooper family.
His private equity company, Cooper & Company, develops and invests in assets on a long-term ownership basis. It began developing the $1 billion Auckland waterfront complex of heritage and new buildings in 2004, turning the rundown area into a mix of restaurants, bars, boutiques, offices and services.
It also invests in energy and media assets, including Rugby Pass, which now streams games from the world's premium rugby competitions to fans in 23 countries across Asia.
Cooper, a Kaitaia-raised son of a truck driver, has strong ties to the US, beginning with a year he spent in high school in Kansas City. He studied law in Auckland and worked for some large corporations before returning to the US in 1989 to develop a 90-store shopping mall in Southlake, Texas.
Cooper’s real estate activities include Bay of Islands heritage and conservation property The Landing, where former US President Barack Obama stayed on his visit to New Zealand last year.
Cooper also established the Britomart Arts Foundation, with seed money of $1 million and donating works by New Zealand artists. He also gave his alma mater, Georgetown University, one of its biggest donations ever – $74 million.
2018: $900 million