Winston Peters’ former home is on the market for sale in Tauranga for $2.675 million.
The listing for 29 Cooneys Drive, in Matua, highlights the Deputy Prime Minister’s link to the property and its historic connection to one of the region’s most high-profile families.
In their marketing on OneRoof, Oliver Road agents Ben Hawan and Jason Eves state: “Built for Tauranga’s Cooney family in the early ‘50s and later owned by Rt Hon Winston Peters, this property can best be described as a warm embrace.
“It is an authentic and sincere home unaffected by decades of surrounding development, yet current through careful and appropriate updates, ensuring relevance and desirability for years to come.”
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The four-bedroom home boasts views of Mount Maunganui and Tauranga harbour.
Hawan told OneRoof there had been several owners between Peters and the current owners, who bought the home for its privacy and location.
“They live busy lives and so the ease of access to town has been invaluable as has the ability to come home and switch off in their own, private world at the end of the day.”
Hawan said the Cooneys Road property had already attracted strong interest from people who loved character homes and wanted to be in the sough-after location.
The 1950s home built for Tauranga’s Cooney family had undergone a number of upgrades including modern bathrooms and kitchen and double glazing. The property was located at the base of the Matua Peninsula and boasted views of both the harbour and Mount Maunganui.
The house boasts views of Mount Maunganui. Photo / Supplied
Winston Peters in 2005. He represented Tauranga as an MP for more than 20 years. Photo / Getty Images
Hawan said the top end of the market had been “sluggish” over the past 12-18 months with “peaks and troughs in sales activity”, but there seemed to be some optimism on the horizon going into 2025.
“There is a growing consensus that the fall in property values is at or nearing an end and as such we are beginning to see buyers activate their plans.”
A Geneva-based buyer purchased a four-bedroom, two-bathroom home on Myres Street, in Otumoetai which had an asking price of $2.885m sight unseen, while another three-bedroom, two-bathroom home on Harvey Street, in the Avenues, listed for $2.95m, was snapped up by locals before it even hit the market.
Peters was MP for Tauranga for more than 20 years, securing the seat for National in 1984, then holding it as leader of New Zealand First from 1993 to 2005. He lost it to National in 2005 and in 2008.
Also on the market for sale in the Bay of Plenty is a home that once belonged to the politician who beat him in the 2008 election.
The four-bedroom house at 74 Kings Avenue, in Matua, which former National leader Simon Bridges sold two years ago for $3.8m, was listed in May this year with price expectations of $4m-plus.
Bayleys listing agent Linda Lees told OneRoof at the time that her vendor had significantly upgraded the home since the 2022 purchase.
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The property made headlines in 2022 when Bridges and his wife Natalie listed it for sale following his departure from frontline politics. The property had passed in at auction and eventually sold for $100,000 below the asking price.
Buyers prepared to spend a bit more could secure another Bay of Plenty home with links to a prominent New Zealander.
The French-style country lodge created by the late multi-millionaire philanthropist Chloe Wright is for sale by negotiation.
Wright, who co-founded the childcare provider BestStart, built the mansion at 163 Esdaile Road, in Whakamarama, as her forever home.
She and her husband Wayne lived there for several years before they decided to turn it into a unique accommodation experience for international guests.
74 Kings Avenue, in Matua, was sold by Simon Bridges and his wife Natalie in 2022. It returned to market in May this year. Photo / Supplied
163 Esdaile Road, in Whakamarama, was created by rich-lister Chloe Wright, who died last year. Photo / Supplied
The five-bedroom property, which is surrounded by European-style gardens and charges more than $1000 a night, hit the market for sale following Wright’s death in September last year.
Ray White listing agent Simon Cotter told OneRoof earlier this year that the whole Wright family had been involved in the creation of the house but it was now time for another family “to love it as much as they have”.
“They’ve loved it. The whole family was part of it, painting window sills and fences and putting in posts.”
Cotter had said Wright was inspired by the houses she had seen while cycling through picturesque French and English villages.
Cotter said the RV of $3.28m didn’t reflect the value of the home or the expected sale price.
“It’s definitely got to be well, well, well above where the RV is. But if you put a price on it, people get a preconceived idea,” he said. “It’s a masterpiece, this place.”
- Click here to find more properties for sale in Bay of Plenty
