‘Being an Island woman, there were a few doors that closed in my face’

Barfoot and Thompson agent Repeka Lelaulu has been working in real estate for almost 30 years, but her passion for property goes back even further, and she credits her father for setting her on her career path.

Q: Have you always had an interest in real estate?

Real estate has been a way of life in my family for a couple of generations.

My dad, Lelaulu Nonu Tuisamoa, understood that the quality of life in a new country depended on owning your own home. He also saw the potential in older, and cheaper, properties in the central city areas. When he migrated to Auckland from Samoa in 1953, he bought a four-bedroom boarding house in Newton, and with the help of relatives, he converted it into an eight-bedroom home with two reception rooms and a large kitchen.

He would not allow any of our fresh-off-the-boat relatives to leave his care without first putting a deposit on a house [for them].

He also leveraged his friendships with Auckland businessmen to place islanders in factories and small businesses. He would ensure a quarter of their income was put into a home-ownership fund. My mum’s dad, Leau’anae Tolai, also owned quite a few houses in Grey Lynn, and started a kind of rent-to-buy scheme.

Q: So you grew up in Newton?

Yes, until the motorway came through. Dad then bought a five-bedroom house in Herne Bay, which he quickly converted into an eight-bedroom home with a garden apartment. We were lucky to have so much space – I’m one of eight kids so we reveled in the extra space, although we only had two bathrooms!

Q: You did a stint in Samoa. What was that like?

When I was a teenager, Dad sent me to Samoa for three months. I ended up staying 13 years. I really enjoyed my life [there] and I loved getting to know my culture better. It gave me a greater appreciation of the hardships my parents went through when they first migrated. It was so different to what I was used to in Auckland. Most people lived on family land. But being my father’s daughter, I bought my first house in Samoa when I was in my late 20s.

I returned to Auckland to care for my mum who had terminal cancer, and after she passed, I cared for my father. That’s when I decided to get into real estate. I started at a boutique office in Epsom – it was a family business owned by a second generation Chinese family I liked a lot. The agency was one of about 17 or 18 in one stretch of road, probably the most competitive area in Australasia at the time. It was 1990, just after the crash, and I thought, “If I can make it here, I can make it anywhere.”

Q: Was it a challenging career to get into then?

Oh, yes! Especially being a Pacific Island woman working for a Chinese-owned business. There were a few doors that closed in my face. I didn’t know of any other Pacific Island agents and there weren’t many female agents either.

What initially helped me was the fact that my brothers went to Auckland Grammar and did well there. Men would see my surname and then doors would open. If there was a deceased estate in the Grammar zone and they saw my surname, they’d bring me in. That’s how I was able to penetrate the boys’ club.

Q: Can you remember the first house you sold?

It was in Grey Lynn, in Great North Rd. It wasn’t my listing but I sold it. It was a total do-up. It had no floorboards and one completely exposed wall – you could see outside without opening the door. People didn’t want to go into it, they were too scared. It was a balancing act, trying to walk through it. The purchaser who bought it was a mechanic, and the owner after him, who still has it, is a builder who improved it immensely and even put in a swimming pool.

Q: What other sales stand out?

There have been a lot. One that sticks out is a house in Mangere that I recently sold for a Samoan couple. From that, they were able to put deposits down on four brand new houses. They live in one, rent one out and two of their children live in the others. And each of those houses has increased in value by $100,000 over the last year. It’s a good example of how to use the value of your home.

Q: What is the secret of your success?

It’s all about building good relationships and genuinely caring for people. When my mother, Iliganoa Lelaulu, and I were driving somewhere she always made me stop and offer lifts to women carrying shopping bags. I continued doing that even if my mum was not in the car. As a result, I was known to a whole bunch of women who would call me if they heard even a whiff of someone thinking of selling their house. My mother also taught me to persevere and to turn rejection into the fuel for the next initiative.

Being very structured and goal-oriented, I know the importance of time management. I used to have my day organised so I knew what I was doing every 30 minutes but you can’t always be like that. I am pretty driven and normally work 14 hours a day. I don’t need much sleep.

I also feel very fortunate to be working for a company that shares my values and supports my contention that we are not just selling houses but we are helping people select their homes. I have been at Barfoot & Thompson in Grey Lynn for 12 years and even though they have over 1600 agents, it is a very family-oriented business. Garth Barfoot is a great mentor of mine – he even encouraged me when we ran the Rotorua half-marathon. I got to the end because of him.

Q: Do you get time to do anything else other than real estate?

Definitely, I make time as service to the community is very important to me. I am the president of the Auckland Branch of P.A.C.I.F.I.C.A a support network for Pacific women and am very passionate about it. Witnessing Pacific women find their voices is inspiring. P.A.C.I.F.I.C.A was founded 46 years ago by my aunt, Eleitino Paddy Walker, who was the first Pacific Auckland City Councillor. She was well respected and a great role model. She pierced the glass ceiling for us Pacific women.

Q: Do you still run?

I’ve just started again but no more than 5kms. I belong to a few walking groups. I was part of the first Pacific women’s team to run the New York Marathon. I also played netball and basketball at an international level. I represented Samoa in the first Netball World Cup in 1991.

Q: All this and you still also find time for family?

Always, my family is very important to me. My cup is full, and I am very grateful for that.