How does a renowned breast surgeon end up becoming a developer?

When it comes to property development, husband and wife John Harman and Karen Spires may be the relatively new kids on the block, but they’ve already set the bar high. John’s first development, St Marks in the prestigious Auckland suburb of Remuera, won the best multi-unit residential property award at the 2019 Property Industry Awards. Now the former breast cancer surgeon and real estate agent have been working together on a second development next door, Mark II.

How does a renowned breast surgeon end up becoming a property developer?

John: We were on holiday in Montreux, Switzerland, five years ago and as I was getting out of the spa pool at our hotel I slipped and smashed my wrist. It meant I could no longer operate and I was devastated – that was my livelihood. But I am a very positive person and as a cancer surgeon I have seen a lot of women with devastation in their lives who pick themselves up and get on with it. I had to do the same thing.

I had always dreamed of building a state-of-the-art medical centre where my clinic, St Mark’s Breast Centre, was and while I was looking into that my planning guys were saying, "Why not build apartments on the site as well?"

I’m a big fan of apartments – I live in one myself – so I thought, Why not? It could be fun to do apartments as well as a medical facility. I expected I would hand everything over to a developer but they were all busy doing their own thing, so I decided I had better get on with it and do it myself.

Was it a steep learning curve?

John: Yes. People thought I was mad.

Karen: I mean, why would you do it? We don’t need the money, and we don’t need the hassle. But he loves it. And he’s really good at it. He’s creative, and a visionary. He has the ability to see what he wants and how it would work. Meanwhile I am the day-to-day organiser, the person who has the list to work through and tick off.

John: I made sure I got together the top people in construction, in architecture, in every discipline involved and I asked a lot of questions. Some of them were very dumb questions, but I learned a lot.

You’ve done very well as a first-time developer – what response have you had from other developers?

John: Karen knows a lot of developers from her real estate background and one guy stopped her in the street and said, "Can you tell John I’m not trying to be a surgeon, so what on earth is he doing?"

Next big thing: An artist impression of Mark II. Photo / Supplied

Karen: We’ve had them come to our display suite and now we’re doing Mark II – which wasn’t always a definite thing, initially we were just going to use the land for parking – they’ve had a look and said, "Oh, what’s he doing now?"

Did your years as a surgeon help in any way when came to being a property developer?

John: Definitely. In both you have leadership skills, you assemble a team and you inspire them to perform to the very best of their abilities. You plan well and you make sure you have all the information you need.

As a surgeon, people have to have faith in you and it is the same with property development. You have to have quite a healthy ego and confidence in your ability in both jobs. I’m very demanding, I expect the best. Near enough isn’t good enough for me. In surgery, near enough doesn’t work.

Karen: John will never cut corners or skimp on costs, and he’s prepared to pay for the very best, whether it is materials or tradespeople. People appreciate being paid well for their services, and that creates a really good vibe, which you can feel.

John: The architects, Peddle Thorp, would come to me with ideas and I’d say, "Do it, I don’t care how much that costs, it’s going to make it more beautiful." They like that response because their ideas and creativity are encouraged, and not questioned.

Was it stressful though, doing something so very different?

John: There are stresses, but it was so much less stress for me than surgery. Building apartments is not life or death; surgery is. When you are a surgeon you train yourself not to get stressed because it does not improve your performance, it makes it worse. I manage my stress by looking after myself, going for a walk every morning if I can and creating good support systems in our team and with family and friends. I don’t have sleepless nights.

Karen, was joining John to work in property development an obvious next step for you?

Karen: It had been on the cards but I have only been doing it for a couple of months. I was a real estate agent for 24 years, 20 of those with Bayleys, and I did really well. I was one of their top 20 agents for many years, and it was all about striving for excellence and being competitive.

I wasn’t involved in developing St Marks, that was all John. Now I have been fully immersed with Mark II, and while it’s quite new to me, I am really enjoying it.

The couple are big believers in apartment living. Photo / Fiona Goodall

I kind of morphed into property development because it would allow me more flexibility to travel to America to see our son Jack, who is 15 and moved over there to study for three years at a private ski racing academy in California. He’s home now because of the coronavirus, but he will be going back once the school re-opens and I want to be able to go over and see him as much as I can.

I’m still in the property industry, just a different part of it, and like real estate, property development is not so much about bricks and mortar, it’s more of a people industry. It’s understanding people, what makes them tick, what they are looking for in a home and a lifestyle.

With developments like St Marks and Mark II, it is also about creating a community and a sense of social wellbeing. We try to encourage people to get to know their neighbours, which is why there will be shared facilities like a wellness centre and swimming pool, an in-house barista and al fresco dining area in Mark II.

John: St Marks, which has a café, has become quite a lively community already, which I like. The community and family side of things matter to me. I’m half Fijian – family life and shared community spirit is very important to Fijians.

How did the two of you meet?

John: I picked her up in a bar.

Karen: No, he didn’t! We met through friends.

John: We just happened to be in a bar at the time. It was 17 years ago and I was a single dad with three kids from my first marriage. I’d been living in a big family house in Remuera but when that marriage ended I could only afford to buy an apartment, and ended up with a rundown place in Herne Bay.

Karen: When I moved in it was still a dunger. I bought half and helped with the renovation.

John: I did well, I met this wealthy younger woman.

Karen: He’s not silly. It’s lovely now, and we love apartment living. Apartments make life easier and they free you up to do other things that are important in life.

Do you think having a genuine appreciation for apartments helps when it comes to building and selling them?

John: Definitely. We’ve visited big cities overseas to see how people live – we’ve been to Sydney, Melbourne, Berlin, San Francisco, New York, Chicago, Geneva. We stay in Airbnbs and try to get a feel for the city, how they work and what people want for their homes. Plus I read a lot – as a surgeon I was used to reading up on science for a couple of hours a day – and I think a lot about where our society is going.

Will there be another development after Mark II?

John: I don’t have any plans beyond that. We’ll see. I’ll be 70 by the time it is due to be finished in 2023. Maybe Karen should do one, and I’ll help. She’s only 51, that’s too young to retire.

Find out more about Mark II below: