Property lecturer honoured for industry contribution

A senior property lecturer has been honoured by the Property Institute of New Zealand for his exceptional contribution to the industry.

Dr Song Shi was presented with the academic award for excellence in research and teaching performance at the institute’s annual property conference.

His research into New Zealand’s property industry has included a study into the impact of leaky homes on resale house prices and developing a monthly house price index for local housing markets.

He is currently carrying out further research into the stigma of leaky home syndrome and its impact on the housing market in Auckland. His research has been cited in court cases to help determine compensation for leaky home owners.

Dr Shi, who works in the School of Economics and Finance based at the Manawatu campus, is a registered valuer and teaches papers in applied valuation and real estate investments.

He says as a lecturer he is passionate about preparing his students to go on to successful careers. “Property degrees offered at Massey are practically oriented,” he says. “This means property-related papers need to be taught by academics with local experience. The hands-on experience obtained in both residential and commercial valuations is extremely useful for my teaching, particularly for the applied valuation papers.”

He has had papers published in highly respected international journals including the top-ranking Journal of Real Estate Research and presented his work at international conferences.

He joined Massey University in 2005 and graduated with a PhD in Property in 2009. His thesis was included in the Dean’s List of exceptional doctoral theses.

In a congratulatory letter, property institute chief executive David Clark said: “The award symbolises an exceptional contribution to the property industry which has been recognised and acknowledged by your peers through the presentation of this award”.