Nearly 30 senior auctioneers have competed across two days as part of the 2019 Real Estate Institute of New Zealand National Auctioneering Championships, with Aaron Davis crowned the winner of this year's senior competition.

The Harcourts Blue Fern Realty auctioneer beat out the largest field for the competition since 2015 to claim his first title from eight finals appearances.

Mr Davis told WILLIAMS MEDIA his extensive finals experience had played an important role in his inaugural victory.

"When people are put under pressure, they don't rise to the occasion, they rise to their level of training," he said.

"I was able to fall back on the experience that comes from that competition, as well as calling thousands of auctions over the years.

"You can say to yourself, 'I've been in this situation before so I know what to do'."

Mr Davis, along with runner up Robert Tulp from Harcourts Cooper & Co (Hobsonville), will now go on to represent New Zealand in the Australasian Auctioneering Championships to be held in Melbourne during October.

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REINZ Senior Auctioneer Championship runner up Robert Tulp. Source: REINZ

Having previously attended as a supporter, he said the competition had grown in stature throughout the past few years.

"As the event becomes more important for auctioneers, the standard has risen," he said.

"It's becoming a more trusted process in the marketplace as well.

"People who are selling their properties are expecting a better level all the time."

Mr Davis was not the only Harcourts winner from the championships, with Mark Morrison from Harcourts Auckland taking out the ‘Rising Stars Competition’ to lift the Colin Brown Memorial Cup.

Chris Greenhill from Harcourts Marlborough and George Yeoman from Bayleys (Auckland) were joint runners up in the Rising Stars section.

For the second year running, a Secondary Schools’ division was included as part of the overall competition, with Pippa Morris from Diocesan School for Girls in Auckland crowned the winner while Max Hart from Kerikeri High School was the runner up.

Chief Judge Mark Sumich said all categories had showcased the evolution of auctioneering.

The callers’ ability to cope with complicated albeit contrived bidding sequences, was testament to the training they are undertaking," he said.

Their often-casual output, with innovation and humour, belies an accuracy and competitive instinct which is off the radar.

"There appears little doubt that New Zealanders are providing the benchmark for calling across Australasia.”

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