Civil construction boss Sam Aitkenhead may have conquered the fairways to win the 2026 New Zealand Open Pro-Am Championship, but back at home he's facing a far tougher challenge: convincing his children to move house.
Aitkenhead and his wife, Laura, were preparing for the first open home at their beachfront Kāpiti Coast property when one of their four children made a last-ditch attempt to stop the sale.
Scrawled across a window at the family home at 102 The Esplanade, Raumati South, were the words: "Please don't buy this house."
It's easy to understand the sentiment.
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The property has been home to the Aitkenheads for nearly 12 years. During that time, both the family and the house have grown dramatically, from a modest 60sqm beach cottage to a 186sqm coastal retreat, and from one child to four.
Now, the family is preparing for its next chapter at nearby Peka Peka Beach, although Aitkenhead suspects his children will soon come around.
"We're going to have a little golf par three and a golf simulator. We've got a tennis court for the kids and yeah, a lot more space," he told OneRoof.
Aitkenhead was initially reluctant to talk about his golfing success, but admitted that if it helped shine a spotlight on his home, he was happy to tee up the conversation.
Sam and Laura Aikenhead bought a 60sqm cottage in Raumati South and transformed it into a 186sqm modern home. Photo / Supplied
Sam is a keen amateur golfer who won the New Zealand Open Pro-Am Championship in 2026. Photo / Supplied
His love affair with golf began when his grandmother, Peggy, introduced him to the game at age 10. "Pretty cool," he said.
He's been playing ever since, but his competitive streak has emerged in earnest only in recent years.
"Maybe in the last five years, I've started playing a few tournaments with friends and then got involved in pro-ams."
Those events pair professional golfers with amateurs, and this year Aitkenhead struck gold alongside Australian golfer Haydn Barron.
"We played really well as a team [and] we won."
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The pair finished on 39-under-par, posting rounds of 62, 62, 61 and 60 to secure victory by three shots. "Funnily enough, my good friend Tim [McGoldrick] came second. So it was a competition between him and me the whole way," he said.
He added: "I love golf. The New Zealand Open experience is just incredible. Just the vibes."
He said the pressure of competition seemed to unlock another level in his game. "When I get in a pressured situation, for some reason it just ignites something inside me, and I play really well.
"My friends just hate it when they go to a tournament with me because I find another gear. I don't know why, but I really enjoy it."
Despite encouragement from friends to turn professional, Aitkenhead's focus remains firmly on his civil construction business, SBA Civil, which is preparing to begin a new subsoil drainage contract at Transmission Gully. He has, however, already committed to returning to the New Zealand Open as an amateur in 2027.
One of the couple's children was so sad at the prospect of moving that she wrote: "Please don't buy this house" on a window just before the first open home. Photo / Supplied
In many ways, his golf and property journeys are intertwined.
The family bought the Raumati South home after the original Transmission Gully project lured them back across the Tasman from Perth.
"When Transmission Gully got awarded, it was actually awarded to an Australian company. I was working for them at the time. That was my move back to New Zealand.
"We were back here for three months when this house turned up [for sale] in Raumati on the beach.
"It was a little beachfront cottage, only 60sqm. We only had one child at the time [and] we snapped it up. We lowballed an offer, and then they came back and said, 'Make it unconditional, and it's yours.' And we couldn't believe it."
As the family expanded, so did the house.
The couple enlisted Click Architecture to redesign and enlarge the property, transforming the compact cottage into what Aitkenhead describes as "basically a brand new house".
The decision to sell comes after purchasing land further up the coast. Leaving Raumati South won't be easy.
Bayleys agent Ellie Tzimas said the views to Kāpiti Island are spectacular, as are the sunsets. Photo / Supplied
"That house has been so amazing for us. Like with the kids growing up there. Laura and I have been able to cook dinner while watching them surf in the waves.
"The whole living kitchen is just incredible because we've got big doors that open out onto this huge deck, which is literally, you could throw a stone into the ocean.
"More often than not, the sunsets are unbelievably beautiful, and there's no wind. So, whenever our friends come around, we spend all our time in and out. It's pretty cool."
The appearance of the for-sale sign triggered plenty of tears from the children.
"They're all pretty sad to leave it," Aitkenhead told OneRoof.
Still, being able to watch their new home rise from the sand over the past 15 months has softened the blow.
"That's definitely helped," he said.
The three-bedroom, two-bathroom home sits on 873sqm of beachfront land and has an RV of $1.64 million. It is being marketed by Bayleys agents Ellie Tzimas, Hannah Mackley and Paul Gamble.
Tzimas said buyers were immediately struck by the property's outlook across the Tasman Sea to Kāpiti Island.
"You walk up those stairs through the property, and you are just greeted with this incredible view.
"It's the most wonderful location, Raumati South. It's right next to Queen Elizabeth Park."
She said the renovation had elevated the home well beyond its humble beginnings.
"It's stunning, beautifully presented [and] the craftsmanship with the renovation is pretty spot on."
- 102 The Esplanade, Raumati South, Kapiti Coast, is for sale, tender closing November 19
