Wellington’s most awarded real estate agency also is one of the country’s most community-minded.
This week Tommy’s Real Estate won two of the country’s biggest Real Estate Institute of NZ awards and was a finalist for the Marketing Community Award.
The Wellington City agency won in the REINZ Large Residential Office of the Year – Volume and the REINZ Large Residential Office of the Year categories.
“We are Wellington’s most awarded agency,” Sales Director Nicki Cruickshank says.
“We are proud of all the industry awards we’ve won over the years. But the one we’re proudest of is the recognition of our contribution to the community.
“The key to our success has been creating a community of people that believe in doing good for Wellington.
“We are successful because of them and our team of community champions.
“We have always believed in supporting the community who have supported Tommy’s.”
EverybodyEats is Tommy’s newest partnership. “It’s one of many that aligns with our brand mission of giving back to our community and supporting those that do good in our community,” Marketing Manager, Henry Bong says.
Last month Tommy’s raised more than $8,000 for the charity when the entire Wellington office — sales, marketing, and administration staff — volunteered to make the first EverybodyEats corporate fund-raising night a triumph of cuisine and community.
“We are a pay-as-you-feel restaurant concept,” Jack Rainey, EverybodyEats’ Wellington Manager, says.
“We take food destined for landfill, rescue it from around the city, and then serve it up as a three-course dinner on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday nights.
“Our door is open to everyone. Diners pay as they feel they can afford. But they don’t have to pay anything.
“Most of our customers would be considered vulnerable and living below the poverty line.
“The rest can pay enough to cover the cost of the meal, and a few will give a $50 or $100 donation.”
EverybodyEats sub-leases space from LTD, at 60 Dixon St. “We’re like a pop-up restaurant three nights a week from 6pm to 8pm,” says Jack, who used to manage one of Wellington’s most popular restaurants.
“We seat 60 diners at a time, and close for two weeks at Christmas and on public holidays.”
EverybodyEats has been operating for two years in Wellington and five years in Auckland.
“Our chef, Ellis Robbins, creates the menu on the day,” Jack says. “No two nights are ever the same.
“Donations-based dining is an awesome concept for chefs because it’s wonderfully creative.
“We also have an amazing group of volunteers who prep the food, plate it, serve it and help to wash up.”
This was the role Tommy’s team played when they invited their clients to be the diners for one extraordinary night.
“Everybody who came along gave a donation,” Jack says. “It helped to give us a financial bump, to stay afloat, keep the lights on and consider opening more nights and even hosting a gala night.
“The evening really opened up our customer base and we’re incredibly grateful to Tommy’s for their support.
“They really got behind the concept and raised the equal of what we would earn over one month opening three-nights-a-week.”
Tommy’s also gets behind a range of other community initiatives, including Life Education Trust, Wellington Children’s Hospital and Wellington Free Ambulance (helped Wellington Free to buy its first Onesie ambulance and this week promoted Onesie Day),
And through its partnership with environmental charity Trees That Count, Tommy’s supports two community groups by donating hundreds of trees annually: Whareroa Guardians, which restores native forest near Paekākāriki; and The Makaracarpas, which co-ordinates landowners to restore the entire catchment of the Makara and Ohariu Streams.
“Organisations need funds to continue operating and it’s tough in this climate,” Business Development Manager, Grant Elliott says, “but we are keen to give back to the community regardless – the money we make comes from the community, so this is our way of giving back.”
As Nicki explains, sales are more than a one-off transaction, it’s a partnership. It’s not the Tommy’s distinctive green colours nor the signs that have earned Tommy’s position as the market leader in Wellington, she says, it’s the staff, the culture, and supportive Wellingtonians. “We are big on building relationships, we believe in teamwork, it’s all about togetherness and helping each other out,” says Nicki.
“Because we are part of the community, it’s about building our community,”.
“People like us, because they are like us – Wellingtonians – and we will do whatever it takes to grow our community, in a good way. These awards are for Wellington as much as it is for us.”
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