RICS Award: Quantity Surveying Team of the Year 2026

At the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) Awards 2026 in Auckland, Hampton Jones was awarded Quantity Surveying Team of the Year, recognising the firm's excellence in quantity surveying and its commitment to delivering robust, independent advice on some of New Zealand's most complex projects.

A key project underpinning this achievement was the Auckland Recovery Office's Category 2P and Category 3 Storm Recovery Programmes, where the Hampton Jones Quantity Surveying team provided independent, rigorous, and transparent cost consultancy services in support of Auckland's recovery from the 2023 storm events. Operating in one of the most significant disaster recovery programmes in New Zealand's recent history, the team played a critical role in helping ensure fair, consistent, and defensible outcomes for affected property owners.

Under the Category 3 programme, the team audited approximately 450 individual homeowner flood claims, undertaking detailed assessments of repair costs against buyout entitlement limits, often where documentation was incomplete or inconsistent. Through their technical expertise, attention to detail, and commitment to transparency, the team helped establish confidence in the assessment process while supporting the effective delivery of a high-profile public recovery programme.

To manage this at scale without compromising quality, the team developed and implemented an internal real-time tracking system that ensured consistent workflow management, accountability, and timely reporting throughout.

Under the Category 2P programme, the team continues to deliver ongoing cost estimation, pricing validation, and commercial reporting services, with a Technical Lead embedded at the Auckland Recovery Office two to three days per week. This embedded model has fostered real-time collaboration with Council technical teams, faster decision-making, and strong alignment with programme goals - an approach that reflects a genuine commitment to client partnership rather than transactional service delivery.

Throughout both programmes, the team has consistently balanced the demands of speed, accuracy, empathy, and public accountability, all while managing a high volume of cases across multiple stakeholders, including homeowners, engineers, designers, valuers, and Council departments. Their work has directly contributed to Aucklanders returning to safer, more resilient homes, while ensuring ratepayer and taxpayer funds have been managed with integrity and full transparency.

The excellence demonstrated by this team lies not only in technical proficiency but in their ability to deliver consistent, auditable, and community-focused outcomes under sustained pressure. A standard that reflects the highest ideals of the Quantity Surveying profession.

The Hampton Jones QS team applied deep professional expertise across technical, financial, and regulatory dimensions throughout both recovery programmes. On the technical side, the team developed and validated cost estimates for a wide range of remediation reinstatement scopes. Each presents unique site conditions and damage profiles.

Financially, the team provided rigorous independent cost assessment, pricing validation, and commercial reporting. Ensuring that all expenditure was reasonable, evidence-based, and aligned with programme funding parameters. This level of financial oversight was critical given the dual accountability to both ratepayer and Crown funding sources.

The team's conduct throughout both programmes was firmly grounded in the core RICS ethical principles. Transparency was maintained at every stage, with all assessments supported by clear, auditable documentation and findings communicated openly to the Auckland Council and relevant stakeholders. Independence was preserved through the team's role as an impartial third-party assessor, ensuring that cost advice remained objective and free from commercial or political influence. Confidentiality was upheld in the handling of sensitive homeowner information across both the Cat 2P and Cat 3 programmes. At all times, the team acted in the public interest, recognising that their work involved the responsible stewardship of public funds on behalf of the wider Auckland community.

A further principle central to the team's approach was universality; all cases, regardless of individual circumstances, were assessed under consistent programme guidance and criteria. This ensured equitable treatment across all affected homeowners, reinforcing fairness and public confidence in the recovery process.

A recurring challenge throughout the programme involved homeowners and other parties who did not fully understand how the recovery programmes were structured, what they were eligible to apply for or how assessment decisions had been reached. Rather than treating these situations as administrative friction, the team approached each instance with patience, professionalism and a commitment to clear communication. By responding promptly, thoroughly explaining programme parameters, and maintaining a respectful and empathetic tone at all times, the team resolved the vast majority of concerns without escalation. This approach not only diffused tension during an already distressing period for affected residents but also reinforced trust in the integrity of the overall process.

While no single international standard was formally mandated under the programme, the team's methodology and professional conduct were consistently aligned with RICS best practice principles, including those governing cost management, transparency, and independent assessment.

This alignment ensured that the quality and rigour of the team's work met internationally recognised benchmarks, even within the specific context of a national recovery programme.

The successful delivery of both the Cat 2P and Cat 3 programmes was built on the effective coordination of a multi-disciplinary team, each member contributing complementary skills across cost estimation, claims auditing, commercial reporting, and stakeholder engagement. The team operated collaboratively under a shared framework, ensuring consistent methodology and quality of output across a high volume of complex, individually unique cases.

Coordination extended well beyond the internal team. The Hampton Jones QS team worked closely with a wide range of stakeholders, including Auckland Council departments, Healthy Waters, Asset Management, Regulatory teams, homeowners, engineers, designers, project managers, valuers, and specialist consultants. Embedding a Technical Lead at the Auckland Recovery Office, two to three days per week, was a deliberate coordination strategy that proved particularly effective, enabling real-time communication, reducing misalignment, and accelerating decision-making across both programmes. This model demonstrated how integrated, relationship-driven service delivery can significantly enhance programme outcomes in a complex, fast-moving environment.

The Hampton Jones team reflects a genuine commitment to diversity and inclusion, bringing together professionals from a range of cultural backgrounds, genders, and experience levels. This diversity of perspective strengthened the team's ability to engage sensitively and effectively with Auckland's multicultural community of affected homeowners, many of whom were navigating an already distressing situation. Hampton Jones as a firm embraces diversity as a core value, recognising that an inclusive profession is a stronger and more relevant one, better equipped to serve the communities it works within.

The nature of this programme also demanded a degree of cultural awareness and interpersonal sensitivity that went beyond technical competence. Team members regularly engaged with homeowners from diverse backgrounds, and the consistent approach of clear, patient, and respectful communication ensured that all individuals felt heard and treated equitably throughout the process.

The social impact of this team's work is perhaps its most significant dimension. At its core, the programme was about people, Auckland families and homeowners whose lives had been significantly disrupted by the severe weather events in 2023. The Hampton Jones QS team played a direct role in helping those people return to safer, more resilient homes by ensuring that remediation and reinstatement scopes were properly costed, fairly assessed, and efficiently progressed.

Equally important was the team's role in the responsible stewardship of public funds. With both ratepayer and Crown money at stake, the team's rigorous, transparent, and independent approach ensured that every dollar was directed appropriately and fully accounted for. This not only protected public resources but reinforced community confidence in the recovery process at a time when trust in institutions was critical.

The team also played a meaningful role in supporting vulnerable communities; many of the affected homeowners were navigating insurance processes, programme eligibility, and reinstatement decisions with limited support. By communicating thoroughly, patiently resolving misunderstandings, and applying consistent, equitable assessment criteria, the team ensured that no homeowner was disadvantaged by a lack of understanding of the system.

Throughout both programmes, the team's approach was aligned with RICS professional standards governing cost management, independent assessment, and ethical conduct. The principles of transparency, accountability, and acting in the public interest, all central to the RICS framework, were embedded in every aspect of the team's methodology, from individual claim assessments through to programme-wide commercial reporting. This alignment ensured that the quality and integrity of the team's work met the standards expected of the profession at both a national and international level.

Measurable Success and Project Outcomes

While the recovery nature of both programmes meant that rigid, predefined targets were not always practical, the Hampton Jones team consistently met expected turnaround times, budget thresholds, and broader programme milestones. Under the Cat 2P programme, cost assessments were delivered within a two-week turnaround timeframe - a demanding benchmark given the complexity and often incomplete nature of early scope information. Under the Cat 3 programme, the team is committed to responding within five working days of receiving claims, with the actual turnaround time frequently dependent on the quality and completeness of the documentation provided by homeowners. Across both programmes, these timeframes were achieved consistently, contributing directly to the broader recovery programme timeline and enabling Auckland Council to maintain momentum across a large and complex portfolio.

The scale of delivery is itself a measure of success - approximately 450 individual homeowner claims were assessed under the Cat 3 programme alone, each requiring independent, defensible, and fully auditable cost evaluation. Under Cat 2P, ongoing cost estimation and pricing validation services continue to support the safe and compliant reinstatement of flood-affected properties across Auckland.

The quality and impact of the team's work is perhaps best reflected in the direct feedback received from the Auckland Council.

Lorelle White (CAT3 Programme Manager) of the Tāmaki Makaurau Recovery Office wrote:

"The services of Hampton Jones have been an integral part of the Crown and Council co-funded Voluntary buyout programme for Category 3 storm-affected homes of 2023 for the Tāmaki Makaurau Recovery Office. They approached the assessment process with professionalism, diligence, and transparency, ensuring every claim was supported by clear, auditable documentation. Their assessors showed a clear understanding of the council's strict requirements to ensure public funds, both ratepayer and taxpayer money, were managed responsibly, providing confidence that all reimbursements were legitimate and compliant with funding guidelines. Hampton Jones' meticulous attention to detail helped navigate a complex process with integrity and efficiency."

A further testimonial was provided in relation to the Cat 2P programme by Thomas Du (CAT2P Programme Manager):

"Hampton Jones has been an invaluable partner to the Auckland Recovery Office CAT2P programme, providing fast, reliable, and audit‑ready commercial advice in a highly complex and time‑pressured recovery environment. Their structured estimation processes, clear reporting, and consistent financial oversight have brought much‑needed certainty to properties with evolving scopes and incomplete early information. By embedding their Technical Lead within our team, they have strengthened collaboration, improved scope clarity, and enabled quicker, more confident decision‑making. Their commitment to transparency, value for money, and alignment with Council standards has helped ensure that mitigation solutions are feasible, compliant, and cost‑effective - ultimately supporting many Aucklanders to return to safer, more resilient homes while ensuring responsible stewardship of public funds."

The team demonstrated best practice across all core dimensions of the Quantity Surveying profession. Structured estimation methodologies, rigorous independent pricing reviews, real-time programme tracking, and clear commercial reporting were applied consistently across both programmes. The development of an internal tracking system to manage the volume and complexity of Cat 3 claims exemplifies the team's proactive, process-driven approach, ensuring no case fell through the cracks and that reporting to Auckland Council remained timely and accurate at all times.

The challenges encountered across both programmes were significant. Evolving and incomplete scope information, variable quality of contractor pricing, tight assessment timeframes, and the need to liaise across multiple stakeholder groups simultaneously all placed considerable demands on the team. Perhaps most uniquely, the team regularly navigated disputes and misunderstandings arising from homeowners and other parties who lacked full clarity on programme parameters and their eligibility. These situations required not only technical knowledge but a high degree of professionalism, patience, and empathy.

These challenges were overcome through a combination of robust internal processes, consistent application of programme-wide assessment criteria, proactive stakeholder communication, and the embedded presence of a Technical Lead at the Recovery Office. By maintaining transparency and responding promptly and thoroughly to all queries, the team resolved concerns constructively and kept the programme moving forward without unnecessary delays.

Cost effectiveness was central to the team's mandate. Through independent pricing validation and value-for-money assessments, the team ensured that all approved expenditure was reasonable, justified, and aligned with actual reinstatement requirements, preventing both over- and underpayment across a large and diverse claims portfolio. This discipline in commercial oversight directly contributed to the responsible use of ratepayer and Crown funds across the recovery programme.

From a time management perspective, the team's consistent adherence to the two-week turnaround for Cat 2P assessments and five-working-day response target for Cat 3 claims reflects a strong culture of delivery under pressure. By maintaining these standards across approximately 20 months of programme delivery, the Hampton Jones team demonstrated that high-quality, audit-ready QS services can be sustained at scale, even within the inherent unpredictability of a major disaster recovery environment.

The most significant innovation demonstrated by the Hampton Jones team was not technological; it was behavioural and methodological. Over the course of 20 months operating within one of New Zealand's most demanding recovery programmes, the team underwent a deliberate and meaningful evolution in how they delivered their services.

In the early stages of the programme, deliverables were structured as a conventional QS engagement might reasonably expect: thorough, comprehensive, and detailed. But as the team immersed itself more deeply in the work and absorbed feedback from the Auckland Council team, it became clear that the recovery environment demanded something different. Speed, clarity, and precision were paramount. There was no room for unnecessary content, no time for documentation that did not directly serve a decision. In response, the team systematically refined their outputs, stripping back anything non-essential, sharpening the focus of every report, and ensuring that the most critical commercial information was immediately accessible to decision-makers.

This shift required genuine professional confidence. It is often easier to produce comprehensive documentation than it is to distil complex information into its most essential form. The team's willingness to challenge their own defaults, respond to client feedback, and continuously improve their approach reflects a level of adaptability and self-awareness that goes beyond routine service delivery.

The development of an internal real-time tracking system to manage approximately 450 Cat 3 claims represented a practical and effective process innovation. Built using the team's existing digital tools, this system provided live visibility over claim status, workflow progress, and reporting obligations, ensuring that nothing was missed and that Auckland Council could be updated accurately and promptly at any point. In the absence of an established playbook for a recovery programme of this scale, the team designed and implemented their own operational infrastructure to meet the moment.

Similarly, the programme-wide consistency applied across all cost assessments, using universal criteria and structured methodologies regardless of individual claim complexity, was itself an innovative response to the challenge of managing equity and efficiency at scale. Rather than treating each case in isolation, the team engineered a repeatable, auditable framework that could absorb high volumes without sacrificing rigour or fairness.

The resilience this team has demonstrated over 20 months of sustained delivery is one of their defining qualities. Operating under constant time pressure, with evolving scopes, incomplete information, and the emotional weight of working alongside a community in distress, the team maintained consistent quality and professional standards throughout.

When circumstances changed, whether through shifts in programme requirements, Council guidance, or the nature of the cases themselves, the team adapted without hesitation, treating each challenge as an opportunity to refine rather than a reason to retreat.

This combination of responsiveness, process discipline, and professional humility, knowing when to simplify, when to push back, and when to change, is at the heart of what makes the Hampton Jones team's contribution to this programme genuinely innovative in the truest sense of the word.

The Hampton Jones QS team's contribution to sustainability is most meaningfully understood through the lens of social value creation and climate adaptation - two dimensions that sit at the heart of the Auckland Recovery Office programmes.

The 2023 Auckland severe weather events were a stark reminder of the escalating impact of climate-related hazards on urban communities. Both the Cat 2P and Cat 3 programmes were fundamentally climate adaptation responses - designed to reduce intolerable risk to life, improve long-term property resilience, and support the sustainable reinstatement or managed exit of flood-affected homes.

The Hampton Jones team's commercial oversight was integral to ensuring that these adaptation outcomes were achieved efficiently and responsibly. By validating mitigation scopes and ensuring cost-effective remediation solutions, the team helped direct limited recovery funding toward durable, resilient outcomes rather than short-term fixes.

While formal carbon measurement was outside the team's remit, the rigorous independent cost assessment and pricing validation processes applied across both programmes had an inherently waste-reducing effect.

By preventing over-scoping, eliminating unnecessary expenditure, and ensuring that reinstatement works were proportionate to actual damage, the team contributed to more efficient use of materials and resources across a large portfolio of properties. Accurate scoping reduces the likelihood of unnecessary demolition, over-specification, and redundant works, all of which carry embedded carbon and resource implications.

The social sustainability contribution of this team is substantial and directly quantifiable in human terms. Approximately 450 homeowner claims were independently assessed under the Cat 3 programme, each representing a family navigating one of the most disruptive experiences of their lives. The team's fair, consistent, and transparent approach ensured that all affected homeowners - regardless of background, literacy, or familiarity with insurance and council processes - were treated equitably and supported through a complex system. This commitment to universality and equity is itself a sustainability principle, ensuring that recovery outcomes are accessible and just for all members of the community.

Under the Cat 2P programme, the team's ongoing commercial input supports the safe reinstatement of flood-affected properties, directly contributing to the long-term resilience of Auckland's housing stock and the well-being of its residents.

The connection between safe, secure housing and personal health and well-being is well established. Displacement, housing uncertainty, and exposure to damaged or unsafe living conditions carry significant physical and mental health consequences. By helping to move remediation and reinstatement works forward with cost certainty, commercial rigour, and programme efficiency, the Hampton Jones team directly contributed to reducing the disruption experienced by affected homeowners. Faster, more certain outcomes mean families return to stable, safe homes sooner, a tangible health and well-being outcome that underpins all of the team's technical work.

The team also demonstrated sensitivity to the emotional and psychological dimensions of their stakeholder interactions. Engaging patiently and empathetically with homeowners under stress, resolving misunderstandings constructively, and maintaining clear and honest communication throughout, these are not merely professional courtesies, but meaningful contributions to the well-being of a community in recovery.