Avella Taylor

Formal Qualifications

• Registered Valuer in New Zealand (Member No. NZIV 3780)
• Member of the Property Institute New Zealand
• Property Institute of New Zealand Branch Committee Chair – Auckland
• Bachelor of Commerce (Property Valuation) - Curtin University of Technology Western Australia 2014 

Industry Experience

Avella has several years’ experience as a valuer and has been employed by Opteon since 2013. She is the Regional Director of Government Services for New Zealand and leads the Government Department which undertakes valuations throughout New Zealand.

Areas of Expertise

• Valuations for mortgage purposes
• Residential valuations
• Asset valuations for financial reporting and insurance purposes
• Project management and delivery

Ashton Gibbard

Formal Qualifications

• Registered Property Valuer
• Bachelor of Business Studies (Valuation and Property Management)

Industry Experience

Ashton has been valuing since 2011 and has a wide knowledge base with experience across valuation sectors including rating valuations (roll maintenance and revaluations), financial reporting valuations, project managing national portfolio valuations, along with private market and insurance valuations. Ashton has worked on rating contracts throughout the lower and central North Island and across the Northland Region.

Areas of Expertise

• Multi-unit residential investment property valuation
• Valuations of development and block land
• Valuation of specialist property under depreciated replacement cost methodology
• Mass Appraisal Valuation techniques for revaluations
• Financial Reporting and Asset Valuations and Reporting
• Legislation, requirements and procedures for rating valuations
• Procedural and reporting for Land Valuation Tribunal

Joe Holmes

Formal Qualifications

• Certified Practising Valuer
• Associate Member of the Australian Property Institute (API Member No. 82770)
• Registered Valuer (NZIV, MPINZ) (Registration Certificate No. 3942)
• Land Valuers Licence (Western Australia) (Licence No. LV45100)
• Bachelor of Applied Science (Property and Valuation) (1st Class Honours)

Industry Experience

Joe is an experienced rating and taxing valuer having commenced his career in Melbourne undertaking a range of valuations for municipalities including Manningham City Council, Kingston City Council, Glen Eira City Council, Frankston City Council, Yarra City Council, Moreland City Council, Mornington Shire and more. He has vast experience returning annual general revaluations, objections, supplementary valuations, public open space contribution valuations, asset valuations, rental determinations and insurance valuations covering a range of property types such as commercial, industrial, residential, and specialist. In 2020 he migrated home to Auckland (New Zealand) and in 2021 joined Opteon as an Associate Director in their Government and Advisory team. He is a Registered Valuer in New Zealand, Certified Practising Valuer in Victoria, and holds a Land Valuers Licence in Western Australia.

Areas of Expertise

• Valuations for property taxation, legislation and policy purposes
• Mass valuation modelling
• Rating and taxing valuations
• Rating and Land Tax objections
• Asset valuations for financial reporting purposes
• Public open space contribution valuations

Lionel Musson

Mark Grinlinton

Formal Qualifications

• B Com Ag (Valuation & Farm Management), 1984.
• Registered Valuer, 1987.
• Associate status of the New Zealand Institute of Valuers, 1989.
• Senior member of the Property Institute of New Zealand, 2005.

Industry Experience

Mark has been responsible for the delivery of over 30 revaluations since 1999 and held leading valuation positions with Valuation NZ, QV, Landmass and Opteon. He began his valuation career in 1984 in the Gisborne office of Valuation NZ. In 1989 he moved to Tauranga and held the position of Rating Valuation Manager for Quotable Value from 1999 to 2004. From 2004 to 2015 he was a director and shareholder of Landmass Technology, until its purchase by Opteon where he held the positions of General Manager Government Services and Rural Director until early 2019. Following a brief absence, he has returned to add his significant experience and assist Opteon in his role as Registered Property Valuer.

Mark has been a Registered Valuer specialising in the delivery of rating valuations for most of his 36-year career. This experience has led to a strong understanding and long involvement in the Rating Valuation industry.

Areas of Expertise

• Specialist in all aspects of rural valuations.
• Management roles extending two decades in the successful delivery of Rating Valuation Service Provider contracts.
• Strong understanding of the Rating Valuations Act 1988, associated Rules, the Te Ture Whenua Act 1993 and relevant case law.
• Comprehensive knowledge of the Land Information New Zealand audit requirements.
• Expert witness for Councils on many Land valuation Tribunal hearings, including cases of national importance involving Maori land and forestry.
• Member of the expert committee that reviewed the 2008 Rating Valuation Rules.

Martyn Oostveen

Formal Qualifications

• Bachelor of Commerce (Agriculture) Majoring in Rural Valuation and Farm Management from Lincoln University.
• Full Member of Property Institute (MPINZ)

Industry Experience

Martyn is an experienced rating valuer and has been with Opteon for almost 5 years and during this time has participated and managed several revaluations. His experience extends to dairy, pastoral, lifestyle and residential valuations. Martyn prides himself in his knowledge in rating valuation legislation and the quality assurance of valuations and data. Martyn is working towards becoming a registered valuer in late 2020/2021.

Before valuation career, Martyn worked on a dairy farm employed as a manager.

Areas of Expertise

• Rural valuation
• Mass Ad hoc modelling within Valor database
• Mass indexing
• Rating legislation
• Management of valuers and rating staff
• Revaluation and maintenance audits
• General technology
• District valuation roll computer systems

Mate Finlay

Formal Qualifications

•    Bachelor of Property (University of Auckland) 2016 - 2019

Industry Experience

Mate graduated from University of Auckland in March 2020, where he completed a Bachelor of Property. On completion of his degree, Mate joined the Auckland Council as a Graduate Valuer where he conducted Rating Valuations across the Auckland property market. Mate joined Opteon in October 2020 where he has since moved his existing experience to conducting Rating Valuations in Hamilton’s property market. Mate has undertaken variations of valuations including building consents, subdivisions, amalgamations of titles and owner objections. 

Areas of Expertise

•    Preparing valuations for rating purposes (Including in both the Auckland and Hamilton market)

Tom Mabbott

Formal Qualifications

• BProp (UoA)

Industry Experience

Tom has been with Opteon for two-years after completing his Bachelor of Property with the University of Auckland in 2018. He has assisted in the successful completion of revaluations and roll maintenance deadlines having gained experience in residential, rural and lifestyle valuations.

Areas of Expertise

The majority of Tom’s time with Opteon he has been working on residential valuations so his expertise lays here.

Danielle Nikora

Formal Qualifications

• Bachelor of Business Property (Ongoing) - Massey University

• National Certificate in Real Estate – Salesperson - The Skills Organisation

• Certificate IV in Property Services – Property Management - Kaplan Institute

Industry Experience

Danielle has several years’ experience in the property industry, including property management, property sales, and business development. She is currently working towards a Bachelor of Business (Property) with the goal of becoming a Registered Valuer.

Areas of Expertise

• Valuations for rating purposes
• Market analysis