- Former Auckland mayor Dick Hubbard and Diana sold their Queenstown home to an overseas buyer.
- The architecturally distinctive home had been listed for more than $8 million.
- Another high-profile property was withdrawn, while Queenstown-Lakes recorded 24 sales above $5 million in 2026.
Ex-Auckland mayor Dick Hubbard and his wife Diana have sold their multimillion-dollar "masterpiece" in Queenstown to an overseas buyer.
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The striking three-bedroom house overlooking Lake Wakatipu had been the couple’s base of operations over the last 10 years, and hit the market at the end of last year.
Hubbard confirmed the sale to OneRoof, but declined to reveal the sale price or whether it was close to the $8m-plus the couple had been hoping to get.
The house was listed with New Zealand Sotheby's International Realty agent David Penrose, who is also selling Kim Dotcom's $16m mansion at 25 Mount Alfred Ridge, in Glenorchy.
The deal comes as another high-profile Queenstown home, belonging to a high-profile Kiwi film-maker has been pulled from the open market.
A five-bedroom luxury pad in Kelvin Heights has been pulled from market by its owner, who has worked on some of Hollywood's biggest films. Photo / Supplied
Returning to market after a near-year-long pause is 68 Sicilian Lane, in Lake Hayes. Photo / Supplied
The film-maker, who has been an assistant director on numerous Marvel blockbusters, including Spider-Man: Homecoming and the Avengers, had listed his five-bedroom retreat in Kelvin Heights early last year with price expectations of around $15m.
The listing agents confirmed that the property had been withdrawn.
Pausing campaigns or having a change of heart is not uncommon at the upper end of the market. Another prestigious home in the district has been relisted after a near-year-long spell on the sidelines.
The award-winning architecturally designed four-bedroom, three-bathroom property at 68 Sicilian Lane, in Lake Hayes, is for sale with Luxury Real Estate agents Nick Horton and Terry Spice for over $8m.
The top end of the Queenstown market has performed reasonably well this year. OneRoof analysis of the 101 settled sales for $5m-plus in 2026 identified 24 in Queenstown-Lakes, including one in Speargrass Flat for $16.5m by Bayleys agents Sarena Glass and Sarah McBride.
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Hubbard told OneRoof that his house on Hensman Road in the city had attracted significant interest, including from Kiwis and foreign buyers.
He said he and Diana had not met the new owners, but he revealed that they had come through the "overseas investor scheme".
“We’re all very happy, happy campers,” he said of the sale. “We had quite an emotional attachment to the house because not only had we worked on the design, which is fairly unique, but also the builder was one of our near neighbours.”
The couple have settled into a villa at the Queenstown Country Club retirement community, near Frankton, but will miss their hill-top home.
“The views are obviously amazing, and I still just love the timber and the architecture,” Hubbard said.
Dick and Diana Hubbard used the Queenstown home as their base while out travelling the world on their motorbike. Photo / Hubbard Family Collection
The house roof was designed by architect Christine Hall to resemble the sweep of a tent, inspired by Diana Hubbard’s Outward Bound solo camping experience. Photo / Supplied
“It’s always a bit emotional with the old age and stage thing, but you look at new beginnings and a new life here. There is obviously a social network and new friends to be made.”
Hubbard said that with their holiday home in Glenorchy and their two or three months overseas, he and Diana are pleased with their move.
Hubbard, who led Auckland Council between 2004 and 2007 and whose name is synonymous with Hubbard Foods, revealed the origins of the house when he talked to OneRoof last year.
He said he spotted a for sale sign on a plot of land on Hensman Road while out walking one morning in 2003, and so impressive were the views that he thought he might buy it. However, there was a hitch: the overseas-based owner wanted the place sold in three days.
“I rang the lawyer, who fell off his chair but said, ‘I think we can do it’. The bank manager also just about fell off his chair. This was Monday, and by Wednesday all the details were finished and we had it.”
The Hubbards sat on the sloping 883sqm section for nearly 10 years until they briefed architect Christine Hall to design a home that made the most of the 270-degree views out over the water to the Remarkable Ranges and Cecil and Walter Peaks.
Hubbard's house has 270-degree views over Lake Wakatipu, the Remarkables and Cecil and Walter peaks. Photo / Supplied
The split-level living room. Photo / Supplied
Hall not only gave the Hubbards a sweeping curved bivvy-style roof, but also expanded the house’s references to simple camping style. The modern two-storey home features a ridge and vertical tent poles, and a downstairs toilet that Diana calls a “glamorous long drop”. A sunken living room and a kitchen full of European appliances elevate the home well beyond its humble inspiration.
Builder Martin Hulsman’s construction earned him a slew of Master Builders’ awards in 2016. The Hubbards said that the architect and builder’s work prompted two sets of neighbours to commission the pair for their own homes.
The house was also the couple's home base while touring the world on their BMW motorbike. “We have travelled the world from the top of Alaska to the bottom of South America, from London to Cape Town, from Vladivostok through Europe and central Asia. We’ve been to 85 countries in five major trips,” said Hubbard.
“We almost crossed paths with Gareth and Jo Morgan [fellow global motorbike travellers] in Russia.”
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