Ockham Residential
Business Name: Ockham Residential (operating via Ockham Group Limited)
Company Number: 4539518 (Ockham Group Limited)
NZBN (NZ Business Number): 9429030146204
Entity Type: New Zealand Limited Company
Date of Incorporation: 18 July 2013 (as Ting Holdings Limited, renamed Ockham Group Limited in 2017). Ockham Residential as a brand was founded in 2009 by Mark Todd and Benjamin Preston.
Registered Address: Level 18, SAP Tower, 151 Queen Street, Auckland 1010, NZ
Principal Place of Business: 2 Huntly Avenue, Grafton, Auckland 1023, NZ
Key Shareholders: Co-founder Mark James Todd (holds 18.77% via family trusts/entities); Co-founder Benjamin Hughan Preston (holds 56.33%); William James “Will” Deihl (Chief Executive – became shareholder in 2024) and Holly Rose Andrews (his spouse) jointly ~24.9%. (If any other minor shareholders exist via trusts, they are not publicly well-documented; Ockham Group’s shares are split into three groups controlled by the above parties).
Leadership & Directors:
Mark James Todd – Co-founder; Development Director (Managing Director). Active Director of Ockham Group since 2013.
William (Will) Deihl – Chief Executive Officer (since June 2023); Director of Ockham Group since 2024.
Benjamin Preston – Co-founder; former Director (2009–2024). No longer in daily management (focuses on Ockham’s charitable arm and academia).
Helen O’Sullivan – Chief Executive Officer 2015–2018 (former REINZ CEO) (brought in professional industry leadership; departed in late 2018).
Other senior staff: Tania Wong (Founding Architect and Project Design Lead since 2009); Ben Gibbens (COO of Construction).
Staff Size: ~40 full-time employees (as of early 2020s), plus a network of regular contractors.
Affiliated Entities: Ockham Residential Realty Ltd (real estate agency arm handling sales; 100% owned subsidiary); Ockham Construction (in-house construction management division); Ockham Collective Trust (formerly Ockham Foundation, charitable arm).
Major Partnerships: Partnership with Marutūāhu Iwi in Auckland housing developments since 2018 (joint ventures delivering ~550 apartments by 2023, including 199 KiwiBuild units). Lead sponsor of the Ockham New Zealand Book Awards (national literary awards, since 2016). Lead corporate partner of Objectspace Gallery (Auckland art and design space, sponsoring a public lecture series). Supporter of BWB Texts (Bridget Williams Books series), NZ Geographic Photographer of the Year (People’s Choice Award), and local education initiatives (e.g. One Tree Hill College programs). Member of Property Council New Zealand (industry association) – Mark Todd received a Property Council “Outstanding Leadership Award” in 2022.
Political Donations: Mark Todd personally donated NZ$50,000 to the Labour Party in 2023. (A company representative stated this was because he supports legislation “which reins in the ‘lord’ bit of landlord” in rental housing.) No other large political donations by Ockham or its principals are recorded in public disclosures to date.
Other Affiliations: Ockham was an early private sector participant in the Government’s KiwiBuild programme – e.g. its Mt Albert “Tuatahi” project included 18 KiwiBuild apartments under a government ballot. Mark Todd has engaged with Auckland Council’s urban planning forums (e.g. as a speaker in the Council’s “Auckland Conversations” series). The firm and its founders also maintain links with academic institutions (Benjamin Preston teaches at University of Auckland).
Sources:
[1] Ockham Group Limited – Company Profile, BizDb (NZ Companies Office data) – https://www.bizdb.co.nz/company/9429030146204/ (Company number, NZBN, status, directors)
[2] About Our Funders – Ockham Residential, New Zealand Book Awards Trust – https://www.nzbookawards.nz/new-zealand-book-awards/about-our-funders/ (Founded 2009 by Mark Todd & Benjamin Preston; Ockham’s community contributions)
[3] Ockham Residential Realty Ltd – NZ Limited Company, BizDb – https://www.bizdb.co.nz/company/9429041326169/ (Subsidiary for real estate sales; ownership by Ockham Group)
[4] Our People – Ockham Residential, Ockham website – https://www.ockham.co.nz/about/our-people/ (Profiles of Mark Todd, Benjamin Preston, Will Deihl, Tania Wong, etc.; company origins and ethos)
[5] Helen O’Sullivan – Twelve Questions, NZ Herald – https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/twelve-questions-with-helen-osullivan/QDJUFKYUBWOSF2SSY6VHYOO6X4/ (2016 interview: O’Sullivan on Unitary Plan enabling mid-priced housing)
[6] New Mt Albert apartments for KiwiBuild buyers, Ministry of Housing and Urban Development (via Scoop News) – https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/AK1810/S00477 (2018 press release: Tuatahi project, partnership between Ockham and Marutūāhu, 18 KiwiBuild units)
[7] Ockham Group Limited Shareholding, BizDb – https://www.bizdb.co.nz/company/9429030146204/ (Share allocation groups: ~56.33% and 18.78% held by entities including Mark Todd and Ben Preston; 24.9% by Will Deihl & Holly Andrews as of 2024)
[8] Leading Proptech Valocity welcomes Helen O’Sullivan, Valocity Global (Press Release) – https://www.valocityglobal.com/…/welcomes-helen-osullivan (Helen O’Sullivan’s career: CEO of Ockham Residential 2015–2018 after REINZ)
[9] Property industry tops political donations, Radio New Zealand – https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/499176/ (Analysis of 2021–2023 donations: Mark Todd (Ockham) donated $50,000 to Labour, unique among property donors)
[10] Government tax U-turn: Landlords allowed breaks back, NZ Herald – https://www.nzherald.co.nz/…/government-tax-u-turn-landlords-allowed-breaks-back-for-long-term-rentals/SYU2VNIX56C3XHYNS5WWELXXYI/ (Aug 2022: Government exempts build-to-rent from interest denial; notes Mark Todd had said he’d be forced to sell 85 apartments under the original policy)
[11] Mark Todd – The Spinoff (Author page), The Spinoff – https://thespinoff.co.nz/author/mark-todd/ (Lists Mark Todd’s opinion pieces, e.g. Aug 2020 “Calm down about new renting law” welcoming tenancy reforms)
[12] The Daisy apartments: why did we do it?, The Spinoff – https://thespinoff.co.nz/auckland/18-03-2018/the-daisy-apartments-why-did-we-do-it (Mar 2018 by Mark Todd: responding to criticism from Mike Hosking; includes photo of Todd with Auckland Mayor Phil Goff at opening)
[13] Our Partnerships – Ockham, Ockham website – https://www.ockham.co.nz/about/our-partnerships/ (Ockham’s partnerships: Book Awards since 2016, Objectspace gallery and lecture series, BWB Texts, etc.)
[14] Playing Favourites with Mark Todd (Radio NZ Kim Hill interview, Aug 2015) – (audio transcript) (Mark Todd discusses Ockham’s philosophy and his background; indicates early public engagement) (Note: referenced via secondary sources)
[15] Auckland Conversations – 5 Million People, One Big Idea (Event page, 2020) – https://conversations.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/events/5-million-people-1000-days-one-big-idea (Mark Todd listed as panelist; bio notes starting Ockham in 2009 and vision for Auckland)
[16] Fast Forward Lecture Series announcement, Objectspace/University of Auckland (2019) – (Facebook/Event) (Collaboration branded “Fast Forward & Ockham Residential Lecture Series” hosted by UoA School of Architecture, supported by Ockham)
[17] Ockham Collective – Our Story, Ockham Collective website – https://ockhamcollective.org.nz/our-story (Ockham Collective is a charitable trust, started as Ockham Foundation in 2009 focusing on education, expanded to creativity in 2019)
[18] NZ Herald – Property Professional Awards 2022, Property Council NZ (Media release) – https://www.propertynz.co.nz/media-releases/… (Mark Todd won Rider Levett Bucknall Outstanding Leadership Award, Auckland Property People Awards 2022)
[19] Spinoff Opinion – Landlords “need to get a grip”, The Spinoff – https://thespinoff.co.nz/society/06-08-2020/… (Mark Todd’s op-ed supporting 2020 tenancy law changes, critiquing landlord lobby)
[20] Hansard (Parliamentary Debates) – (Referencing debates where Ockham or Mark Todd mentioned) – e.g., Hansard 2020 reading of Residential Tenancies Amendment Bill (Speaker notes some supportive landlords like Mark Todd – indicating Ockham’s stance was noticed in Parliament) (source: RNZ summary)
[21] Land-bankers drop affordable housing – NZ Herald, NZ Herald (16 Aug 2016) – (Referenced in context) (Article on land banking references Helen O’Sullivan’s point that under old rules it was economically impossible to build lower-priced homes, reinforcing need for Unitary Plan)
[22] Political Roundup: “Charter for property developers” – Democracy Project (Bryce Edwards column, July 2024) – https://democracyproject.nz/… (Analyzes new govt housing deregulation; notes Mark Todd’s unique support for Labour’s past regulations and his donation)
[23] Tuatahi – Completed Projects (Ockham), Ockham website – https://www.ockham.co.nz/tuatahi/ (Details on Tuatahi project, partnership with iwi and KiwiBuild units delivered by 2019; by 2023 partnership to deliver 550 units/199 KiwiBuild)
Spot anything in this entry that is wrong? Please either leave a comment at the end or email, in confidence: bryce@democracyproject.nz