It was early on a Saturday morning that I went down to the news agency in Mt Albert to collect what was one of the first New Zealand Herald real estate sections in tabloid. But what made this day more remarkable was the fact that our company had officially changed its name to the public through a White Out statement of 30 pages to now be known as Ray White Real Estate. 
Exactly 10 years ago we became Ray White. There was a period of history before this that involved two brands; United and Ray White United. But it really wasn’t until we were brave enough to run with Ray White that we started to get traction. It was our sales team who drove the change to Ray White. It gave them consistency in their presentations; it gave them the ability to draw from a greater history; and most importantly it offered a future to our salespeople when they were talking with vendors.
At that time we had 71 offices and we were turning over just under $600 million a year. Today we produce 10 times that turnover and our business has doubled adding 70 offices and 650 salespeople. It is one of those moments where we can quietly reflect on our success as it is just a line in the sand. The next 10 years we have so much to look forward to as the real estate industry redefines itself into a value and service offering that will be recognised in the community to be of greater need.
Thank you to our foundation members and to all those who continue to entrust Ray White with their future career. The best years are ahead of us.