Rod Marler is an Aucklander through and through; he’s got boating in the blood and appreciates nothing more than the city’s harbours. So it’s no surprise we’re chatting in his light-filled office overlooking Westhaven Marina.

What is somewhat surprising about Marler is the road he travelled to get to the position he holds now, general manager of development at Waterfront Auckland. As a school-leaver, Marler was unsure about what he wanted to do. At this point he had a somewhat serendipitous conversation with a family friend who suggested he attend Unitec.

The conversation, as it turns out, was the first of many that would have a great influence on Marler’s career, leading him across the Tasman and back, and throughout New Zealand on a journey which includes some of the country’s most forward-thinking developments.

“Architecture was a happy accident for me really,” he said. “Like most kids I didn’t know what I wanted to do. I was talking to friends of the family who said it was a really interesting field.”  While studying, Marler spent two years working at what is now Jasmax, then at 20 he packed his bags and headed for London. “I was there for four years working for architects Stillman & Eastwickfield,” he said.

“It really confirmed I wanted to go and complete an architecture degree.  The offices were three brick terrace houses, up the road was the Arsenal Football Club, so every Friday we were up there for a game and a few beers … life was too easy.”  At 23, Marler moved home to Auckland, and back in with his parents, determined to complete an architecture degree. “My parents had just bought a property on the northern slopes of Herne Bay, so my first project was redesigning it.”

After another two-year stint at Jasmax, a conversation with a senior manager at Lend Lease sparked his interest in pursuing project management. Marler landed a job at Lend Lease as a junior property manager, which quickly developed into a more senior role.  “In this time I worked on two hospitals; I ended up running the site at the Bealey Avenue Southern Cross Hospital in Christchurch. It was a fantastic experience to work on that, it was a $70-million project.”

After a couple of years, Mainzeal took Marler on, and during three years of employment with the company, he completed an MBA part time at the University of Auckland. “Once I had an MBA, I had another serendipitous conversation, this time with my Dad. He said there could be an opportunity to take the family business over. So I jumped on board.”

Marler spent time working as a range builder for his family’s women’s fashion shoes brand, followed by time working as a shoe designer, and at the coalface in the company’s retail shop in central Auckland. “I learnt valuable business skills: marketing, selling and retail,” he said.  But when an opportunity arose back in his field of expertise, Marler grabbed it and joined Perth-based Hames Sharley as regional director of their Auckland office. “We started with 12 staff, and built it up to 45. When I left, we were doing the Botany Town Centre for AMP. Botany really set a new retail standard. It was way ahead of its time, a really good project to be involved in.”

In 1999 Marler was tapped on the shoulder by a large Australian design firm (HBO+EMTB) and accepted a position as a director in Sydney.  This was followed by the opportunity to establish a new Sydney office for his previous employer, Hames Sharley.  “Sydney was just a great place to be at that time.”  But it didn’t take long until Marler was approached again, this time by one of his Sydney clients, Westfield. “In 2003 I came back to New Zealand to head their design team. At that stage they had recently acquired the St Luke’s Group portfolio, so I worked on pretty much every centre Westfield owned, including numerous designs for 277 and 309 Newmarket.”

But for Marler, the highlight was the development of Westfield Albany. “It really set a benchmark for retail in New Zealand. It was hailed as one of the most innovative centres of the time and has been the recipient of many local and international awards” he said.  This experience developing some of the country’s most ambitious and forward-thinking retail centres was, in some ways, the beginning of Marler’s substantial influence on the future of some of New Zealand’s most iconic city redevelopments.

In November 2010 Marler joined Waterfront Auckland as manager of planning and design. He has since led the team that developed the Waterfront Plan, a document outlining the 30-year vision for the revitalisation of Auckland’s waterfront, from Westhaven in the west to TEAL Park in the east.  “About the same time, in June last year, the Waterfront Plan was being endorsed and I was tapped on the shoulder to assist the Christchurch Central Development Unit with the rewrite of the Christchurch Recovery Plan.”

During a short secondment, Marler led the team that developed the Christchurch City Centre Blueprint and re-wrote the Christchurch Central Recovery Plan. “It was a 100-day task. It was mad. Essentially, we appointed the team, brought them into the office and ensured there was minimal interaction with outside parties. It was a sort of lockdown. It really focused everybody’s attention.”

Marler still liaises with the team in Christchurch to ensure that delivery of the Blueprint projects is successful. And there is no doubt they will be. The work so far on Auckland’s waterfront has been widely acknowledged both locally and internationally, winning numerous awards.  “From a lifestyle perspective, the waterfront has become a focal point for Aucklanders. The Waterfront Plan is our mandate to go out and produce some outstanding projects on behalf of Auckland Council.“

Marler’s team at Waterfront Auckland is well on the way to reinventing the waterfront, with various components of the plan complete, or about to get underway. For this opportunity, and his pivotal role in Christchurch, Marler is particularly grateful.  “How many times does an architect have such a large role in shaping the future of, arguably, two of New Zealand’s most special places,” he said. “Continuing now to work with Waterfront Auckland is a nice rounding out of my career. I can really focus my passions for the sea, and this city. It is a fantastic canvas with which to work.”