Department of Property farewells Professor Deborah Levy

The Department of Property hosted a farewell function for Professor Deborah Levy on Wednesday 25 March 2026, marking the conclusion of an exceptional 40-year career dedicated to the University of Auckland and the property profession.

Held in the Decima Glenn Room (260-310) at the Sir Owen G Glenn Building, the event brought together colleagues, students, alumni, and industry partners to celebrate Professor Levy's remarkable contributions and to wish her well in the years ahead.

Professor Levy served as Head of the Department of Property for over fourteen years and as Associate Dean (External Engagement) for three years. Throughout her career at the University, she contributed extensively to the faculty through her involvement in numerous committees and leadership roles.

Her career in property began with Standard Life Assurance Company in Edinburgh, Scotland, before she joined the University of Auckland. As Professor of Property and Head of Department, she advanced the department's research profile and strengthened innovative, high-quality teaching that has been consistently recognised by international reviewers. She also fostered strong partnerships with the property industry, leading many initiatives that connected the department, its students, and property professionals.

A committed advocate for qualitative and interpretivist research in a field traditionally dominated by quantitative approaches, Professor Levy has published in leading academic property journals. Her multidisciplinary collaborations — with colleagues in economics, marketing, planning, anthropology, and geography — have produced influential and pioneering scholarship that has shaped the way property is studied and taught.

Her contributions to the profession have been widely recognised. Professor Levy is a Fellow of the Property Institute of New Zealand and a Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors. She has received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, along with multiple awards from the Pacific Rim Real Estate Society.

The farewell function featured tributes from across the University of Auckland community and beyond. The Dean of the Business School, departmental colleagues, former students, and current doctoral researchers each took turns to share reflections on Professor Levy's influence — both as a scholar and as a mentor. Their speeches traced the breadth of her impact, from shaping the direction of property research and teaching at Auckland, to the personal guidance and support she has offered generations of students throughout their academic journeys.

A particularly moving moment came when current doctoral students presented Professor Levy with a gift on behalf of the cohort, in recognition of her dedicated supervision and mentorship. The exchange highlighted the close and lasting bonds Professor Levy has built with the doctoral researchers under her care.

Professor Levy then took the floor to share her own reflections, looking back on four decades of teaching, research, and collaboration at the University of Auckland. Her remarks were warmly received by the audience, capturing both the achievements of a distinguished career and the relationships that have defined it.

The farewell function reflected the deep respect and affection Professor Levy has earned across the University of Auckland community and the broader property profession. Her legacy — built on rigorous scholarship, generous mentorship, and tireless engagement with industry — will continue to shape the Department of Property and the next generation of property scholars and practitioners for years to come.

The Department of Property thanks Professor Deborah Levy for her four decades of dedication and wishes her every success and happiness in the next chapter of her journey.