One lead consultant for resource consents, engineering approvals and building consents across five Wellington-region councils.
What is changing
From December 2026, qualifying Build to Rent developments will be an accepted investment option in the Growth category of the Active Investor Plus visa. The Government has said this will operate through approved managed funds only.
Growth category capital has a three-year investment period. A fund working to that timeframe needs sites that are consented and ready to build, and it needs someone to manage the approvals process from the start.
What we do
Design Network is an architectural practice. We take residential developments through council approvals for developers across Upper Hutt, Lower Hutt, Porirua, Wellington City and the Kāpiti Coast. On a Build to Rent project we act as lead consultant and manage:
- Site screening and development feasibility
- Concept design and yield testing
- Resource consents
- Engineering approvals
- Building consents
- Consultant team coordination
- Design management and project management through to completion
Talk to us about your Build to Rent pipeline
Two ways to work with Design Network.
Direct appointment
We act as lead consultant for your fund on a site you have secured or are considering. You deal with one team from feasibility to building consent and beyond.
Consented site pipeline
We work with developers to take suitable sites through approvals, so there are deliverable projects ready for a fund to consider.
Why Design Network
- One team accountable for approvals across five councils
- Day-to-day experience of each council’s planning rules, processes and timeframes
- Fewer handovers between consultants, which means earlier programme certainty
- A single point of contact for the fund, the developer and the consultant team
Where this is at
Invest New Zealand has not yet published the full Build to Rent eligibility and structure requirements. We are developing our Build to Rent model now so we are ready when it does. If you manage a fund or own a site suited to apartments, we would like to hear from you early.
Get in touch
Tell us your name, organisation, role and what you are looking for, and we will come back to you within two working days.
Design Network provides architectural, consenting and development management services. We do not provide investment, financial or immigration advice. Information on this page reflects Government announcements at the time of writing and may change when Invest New Zealand publishes final requirements.
