Back in the early days, when Mike Bayley was in charge of putting up the ‘For Sale’ signs for the family real estate business, he remembers hearing about Graeme Bringans.
“The trust will most definitely continue to evolve and become an even more relevant part of the future of New Zealand’s property industry as we nurture more talented minds and aspirations.”
“I’d often overhear [my uncle] John Bayley and [father] David Bayley talking about the buildings ‘Briggo’ had built and the deals he’d made; he was a real visionary back then,” says Mike.
So too was Graeme’s widow, Binty Bringans, who established a trust in her husband’s name after his untimely death and brought Bayleys on board as one of the three founding sponsors with John Bayley as a founding trustee. Many years into that relationship, Mike Bayley never had any hesitation in continuing the Bayleys link when John passed the mantle to him. Why?
“The connectivity that the trust [now the Keystone Trust] has nurtured over the last 30 years has seen it recognised as a leading facilitator of the property industry. It’s quite unique to have a charitable organisation that covers industry leaders, educational providers and students – enabling unprecedented access to key professionals within New Zealand’s wider property industry while also enabling us to have an influence on future generations that will lead the property industry,” Mike replies.
As an example of being there at the beginning and coming full circle, Mike likes to share one particular story. It features Lloyd Budd, who was 17 and in his final year at Palmerston North Boys High School when, as a successful Keystone scholarship applicant, he spoke at a function for that year’s recipients about what he hoped to achieve.
John Bayley was at the function and his ears pricked up when Lloyd shared that one of his goals was to own his own real estate company by the age of 28.
JB approached Lloyd afterwards and gave him his business card. That introduction turned into something life-changing for Lloyd, starting with him getting employment with Bayleys during his university holidays (despite him admitting to not initially knowing who John Bayley was), then getting a full-time job with the firm when he had completed his Bachelor of Business Studies degree at Massey University. In 2006, at the age of 25 he bought a 45 per cent shareholding in the firm’s Northland franchise.
Lloyd is now Chief Executive Officer – Auckland for Bayleys.
As Mike puts it: “the opportunity to create a pool of talent that we can draw from to develop our industry is pretty compelling.”
It works both ways. Binty Bringans worked for Bayleys in a variety of important administrative roles to a very high level, including fundraising manager for the Bayleys Foundation.
And in her capacity as “Aunty Binty” to Keystone students, she – together with other trustees and administrators – provides the personal guidance and attention, which many may need more than the financial assistance Keystone offers, says Mike.
And so it will go on. “The trust will most definitely continue to evolve and become an even more relevant part of the future of New Zealand’s property industry as we nurture more talented minds and aspirations.”
