- A Rolleston home will be auctioned with all proceeds donated to the Māia Health Foundation.
- The funds will support the refurbishment of the Christchurch Women’s Hospital Neonatal ICU.
- Hughes Development’s donation is the largest the foundation has received from an individual or business.
A new-build home in Rolleston is having another go at the market after being pulled from sale last year. But this time there’s a twist: whatever it sells for will be donated in full to a charity for sick infants.
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The owner of 2 Arbor Green Boulevard, Hughes Development, wants all the proceeds from the auction sale on March 5 to go to the Māia Health Foundation to support the refurbishment of the Christchurch Women’s Hospital Neonatal ICU.
The three-bedroom house has an RV of $790,000 and was first listed for sale in June 2025, looking for over $829,000. It was withdrawn from the market in September, but Hughes Development revived the listing at the start of the month after gifting the house to the Māia Health Foundation for its fundraiser.
Hughes Development had already gifted a section from its Faringdon development to the charity, so when it was approached again last year about the ICU initiative, it upped the ante.
Hughes Development director Jack Hughes said the charity was close to his heart. “Two of my three children spent time in NICU, including my youngest, who was there for quite a while,” he said.
The brand-new home, built by HRS Construction for Hughes Development, was completed last year. Photo / Supplied
The new owner will get a new home and support a good cause at the same time. Photo / Supplied
“When you’ve been through that environment, you see how critical it is; not just the medical care, but the space, the support for families, and the pressure staff are under.”
He said he was pleased to provide Māia Health with something that would make a real difference for families going through a really tough time.
Bayleys agent Bianca Davidson, who is marketing the property at no cost, said the donation was extremely generous.
While it wasn’t uncommon for building firms or developers to donate house sale profits to charity, she was not aware of any that had gifted the entire sale price.
“Most of the ones I’ve seen have been profit-based. Here, 100% of the sale will go towards the Maia Foundation for the refurbishment of the NICU ward, which is quite special and very generous of Hughes Development.”
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2 Arbor Green Boulevard was completed last year, and based on other sales in the new 1000-plus home subdivision, it should fetch somewhere in the $800,000s, Davidson said.
Properties in Arbor Green range from $670,000 for a three-bedroom, two-bathroom home on a 281sqm section to $1.025m for a five-bathroom, three-bedroom home on a 444sqm section.
Māia Health Foundation chief executive Michael Flatman said the donation would be a much-welcome boost to the campaign. “The value of the house will be what it sells for, but somewhere in the region of $850,000 takes a lot of fundraising. It’s an enormously generous gift.”
The Government last year pledged $13.9m to upgrade and expand the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Christchurch Women’s Hospital. The redevelopment, which would increase the number of neonatal cots from 44 to 54, is set to begin later this year and will take about 12 months to complete.
Māia Health Foundation has pledged to raise a further $2.1m to make the unit even better. This includes upgrading the family rooms and fitting out the five ensuite bedrooms for parents.
Flatman said 2 Arbor Green Boulevard was the biggest donation the foundation had received from an individual or business. “It’s just amazing to think that essentially here’s a fantastic house, you can have the lot. It’s such a wonderful thing.”
Davidson said interest so far had been positive. There were seven groups through the first weekend of open homes, and a lot of people had been impressed by the high ceiling, the high-quality finishings and the size of the section (600sqm).
The home, which was built by HRS Construction for Hughes Development, would suit downsizers, younger families or professionals looking to move to an easy-care, low-maintenance section, she said.
“We’ve had a few people from the Ashburton region or Timaru just looking for a town base. Rolleston gives them a good point to invest in.”
- 2 Arbor Green Boulevard, in Rolleston, Canterbury, goes to auction on March 5
