Garry Robertson

Garry Robertson is a Mosgiel, Otago-born property developer and one of New Zealand’s most experienced land aggregators. Over more than two decades, he has played a pivotal role in assembling large-scale greenfield sites that have enabled significant residential growth across the country, housing in excess of 80,000 people.

Working largely behind the scenes, Garry has had substantive involvement, from core inception and acquisition, in projects including Milldale, Millwater, Silverdale, Flat Bush, Pokeno, Karaka, Tuakau, Drury, Christchurch and Lincoln, as well as Ocean Ridge, Seaview and The Vicarage in Kaikoura. Collectively, these developments have facilitated housing, business and industry at unrivalled levels, contributing significantly to regional expansion and long-term community formation across the country.

Raised in Mosgiel, Garry began his working life as an apprentice electrician with Dunedin Railways, gaining significant experience and advanced qualifications in heavy industrial electrical work. On completion, he moved into New Zealand Electricity substation and control room construction, followed by high-security control room operations and shift controller roles, including at the Tiwai Aluminium Smelter, New Zealand’s largest single power consumer. At 26, he moved into farm and rural property sales and land aggregation, organically migrating to large-scale corporate strategy, disposals and land acquisitions.

His career has been characterised first and foremost by a lifetime of building quality and lasting relationships of long-term substance, connection and exclusivity, along with extreme patience, disciplined acquisition, logical long-horizon thinking and an ability to identify strategic value well before it becomes obvious to the wider market. While the scale of his work has involved acquisitions of completed and delivered projects worth billions of dollars, Garry has consistently maintained a relatively low public profile, preferring substance, delivery and results over high-profile visibility.

Garry and Carl have been long-term friends, sharing not only business discussions and strategy but also a spirit of adventure, including collecting, restoring and riding a variety of motorcycles together through India and Australia. That balance of commercial acumen and grounded perspective reflects the way Garry approaches business, life and his colleagues.

Having spent significant time in Australia over the last fifteen years, where he also has a home and interests, Garry brings a trans-Tasman perspective to Professional Practice Advisory. His experience in negotiation, stakeholder management, capital structuring, and risk assessment and mitigation, combined with strategic timing, provides extremely valuable insight into complex transactions, long-term value and steady wealth creation.

For dentists, veterinarians, medical practitioners, lawyers and accountants, the parallels are very clear. Professional practices, like large-scale developments, require careful aggregation of value, disciplined growth strategies, timing of acquisition or exit, and a deep understanding of market cycles. Garry’s experience in assembling, scaling and strategically exiting high-value assets adds a broader commercial lens and a valuable resource to PPA client strategies, particularly for owners thinking beyond day-to-day operations towards structured growth, partnership models, consolidation, building long-term family wealth or eventual succession.

In addition to his commercial work, his own developments, farms and varied interests, Garry — a father of four boys — has personally supported many philanthropic initiatives he aligns with. He is a Coastguard volunteer with many hundreds of logged hours on the water, served as Executive Director in fully funding an international film festival award-winning documentary on iconic New Zealand author and social justice reformer Celia Lashlie, and was the New Zealand sponsor of Indian Motorcycles rider Lee Munro, nephew of the late Burt Munro (of The World’s Fastest Indian fame), in a further record attempt with Indian Motorcycles’ US executive team at the Bonneville Salt Flats.

As a Board Associate and Advisor to Professional Practice Advisory, Garry contributes strategic oversight while actively assisting with client strategy development and quality. His perspective strengthens PPA’s ability to simplify and guide practice owners through complex decisions with clarity, discipline and long-term focus. He has a long, consistent and well-regarded history of success, delivery and results.