Ahead of tomorrow’s Gumboot Friday, Mountain Scene can reveal Fowler Homes New Zealand managing director Jason McGirr, and his wife and business partner, Jen, of Queenstown, along with more than 40 supplier partners are building ‘Hope Home 2.0’, a fundraiser for Mike King’s I Am Hope charity.
This time it’s located in one of the resort’s swankiest suburbs.
Extensive earthworks have recently been completed on what will become a four-bedroom, three-bathroom, three-storey terraced home, at 11B Conifer Ln, on Queenstown Hill.
According to property information, the median price range in the lane falls somewhere between $1.81million and $3.4m — McGirr reckons the next Hope Home will sit "in the high twos, but I expect the market will push it north".
A year ago, the McGirrs’ first Hope Home, a three-bedroom pad at Hanley’s Farm, with a two-bedroom detached unit, sold at auction, through Bayleys, for $1.69m.
The $404,000 profit went directly to the youth mental health charity to provide free, fast access to counselling for under-25s via Gumboot Friday and support in-school programmes.
The idea was sparked by a 2022 interview with Mike King on The Rock’s Morning Rumble, during which he was in tears and pleading for help in the lead-up to Gumboot Friday.
At the time, McGirr, a former police officer, said the interview struck a chord, so they decided to help.
And they’ve decided to keep helping.
McGirr says they’re committed to delivering a home for I Am Hope every two years.
"There’s still an issue in the public realm that hasn’t been solved yet, so until we get a solution, where everyone’s got the help they need, we’ll have to keep doing it — somebody has to keep doing it," he says.
"I guess we’re in a privileged position where we worked so hard to build the business, we give a lot of work to our suppliers, so when I ask for something it’s received really well.
"Nobody said ‘no’ to me [this time], which is nice."
Hope Home 2.0’s the central property in a row of three terraced homes, which should be finished in 12 months— the other two are also for sale.
It’ll be high-specced and include fully-tiled bathrooms, a designer kitchen, ducted heating, a fire, and double garaging.
And at 251 square metres, plus two decks, "it’s bigger than most houses", though he notes there’s minimal land, due to the challenging geography of the site.
It’ll also be pre-wired for solar panels, but because they don’t have a solar company on board to support the project they won’t, at this stage, be installed.
If that changes, "I’ll put solar on all three of them, and [the company] can discount the middle one", McGirr says.
He’s expecting to start marketing Hope Home 2.0 well before it’s finished — this time it won’t be going to auction.
"If a buyer comes in early, they can make some changes to it ... they can personalise it."
King says the generosity behind this second build is overwhelming.
"This house is proof that when Kiwis roll up their sleeves, magic happens.
"You’ve taken a middle terrace on Queenstown Hill and turned it into a lifeline for our kids.
"From the first screw to the last coat of paint, every contribution says to a young person, ‘you matter, and help is here’.
"I’m humbled beyond words by Fowler Homes and every tradie, supplier and sponsor who made this real."
