Happy new year to you all. I hope you have been enjoying the warmer weather and taking the chance to reflect on the year gone past and put some goals in place for 2016. It certainly looks like it’s going to be a cracker!

Our industry experts have a lot to say on the forecast for the year. With a number of regulatory changes restricting investment in Auckland occurring in 2015 we are seeing growth in the regions. But there is far more to the equation than meets the eye. Our experts explain where you should be looking, what threats there are to the market, what is driving growth and the changes that are afoot in 2016. Our story on p24 is a must-read for all property investors looking to make gains this year.

One location which investors should be keeping an eye on is Tauranga (featured in our Regional Review on p48). Strong population growth is making for great capital gains in the region and holiday home rentals are also bringing in big dollars for savvy investors. Speaking of which, using your bach or indeed your spare room to make profit as short-term rental accommodation for holiday-makers can be a lucrative proposition. In our peer-to-peer accommodation feature Diana Clement speaks to one investor who made an 81% yield last year on her holiday home.

Read our story (p30) to find out how you can do the same, as well as how to negotiate tax requirements. During December we had a chance to catch up with some of our profiles from last year and find out what they have been up to of late (p18). It is incredible hearing how much things have changed for some of these guys – from new eco flat-pack housing initiatives, to retiring from work, to huge reductions in loan-to-value ratios. It just shows how putting solid short and long-term goals in place can really have an immediate and tangible impact on investors’ lives. In our Your Apartment column (on p46) Aaron Tunstall outlines some really straight forward ways to take stock of what is happening with your property portfolio and set some concrete
goals for the year.

I challenge you to take a moment this summer to tap into your imagination and dream up your ultimate goal. If you take the time to ask yourself where you want to head this year, it is simply a matter of finding those people and resources who can assist you to realise your aspirations. Happy summer reading.