Dave has been involved in rural real estate sales in the Waikato region since 2012, originally under family-owned Pastoral Realty, which then merged with a national real estate company in 2020. In 2023, Dave made the decision to join the Bayleys Country team, where he felt New Zealand’s No.1 rural real estate brand aligned well with his own values of professionalism, integrity and hard work to ensure his clients get the best outcome possible.

Dave has utilised his extensive knowledge and farming experience, along with his exceptional marketing, communication and negotiation skills to facilitate in excess of $250m in rural property sales. In 2020-21 and 2022-23 he was awarded top rural salesperson for the Upper North Island region, and has also received national awards for best marketing campaigns.

Over recent years, Dave has facilitated some of Waikato’s largest rural land transactions, dealing with corporate farming entities, rural equity syndicates, forestry investors, and large-scale land owners including iwi. He has reported to shareholders and trustees, governance boards, and various other stakeholders, and places strong emphasis on communication and market feedback.

Dave is passionate about the rural sector; he was brought up on sheep and beef properties in Hawkes Bay and South Waikato, and since completing an Agricultural Business degree at Massey University has spent his entire career in the farming industry. This has included working as a stock agent and auctioneer, farming in both the dairy and drystock sectors, fertiliser sales, and establishing his own farm advisory business in Hawkes Bay.

Over 2018-19 Dave also completed the Advanced Sustainable Nutrient Management course through Massey University, and he understands the environmental issues and challenges many farmers are facing. He is focused on keeping up to date with constantly-changing environmental regulations and reviews to the emissions trading scheme, and the impact these may have on land-use change and future productivity, as well as any opportunities this may present in the farming sector.

Always keen to give back to the rural and local communities, Dave served as a councillor on the East Coast Beef Council for five years, was a board trustee and treasurer at St Peters primary school for nine years, and is also president of the Cambridge Swimming Club. Dave and his wife, Nic, have three teenage daughters, and in his spare time when he is not supporting his girls playing sport or rowing, he enjoys time in the surf, in a maimai or with a fishing rod in hand.