GreenFort, Gaw Capital to Highlight 1,200-Home JV in MTD TV Interview Wednesday

Brisbane-based GreenFort Capital in January expanded a 1,200-home joint venture with Hong Kong’s Gaw Capital Partners aimed at solving challenges related to Australia’s housing shortage through investment in a hybrid housing format which allows residents to own their home while leasing the underlying land.

On Wednesday, GreenFort Capital partner Adam Vaggelas, together with Kenny Gaw, president and managing principal of Gaw Capital Partners will appear in a spotlight interview session on Mingtiandi to discuss the prospects for their joint venture in Australia’s land lease residential sector and how changes in the country’s residential sector are creating opportunities for institutional capital.

The interview, which is sponsored by Yardi, will be streamed live at 9:30 AM Hong Kong time on Wednesday as part of the Mingtiandi APAC Residential Forum 2025, with Vaggelas and Gaw set to answer questions on their land lease joint venture after the January deal added a pair of Queensland projects to the platform’s pipeline. You may register to view the interview free of charge by registering at the link above.

 

The land lease joint venture is part of GreenFort’s expansion of its network of Liven Communities across Australia, with the Brisbane-based real estate investment manager pursuing strategies across the country’s living sector, including mainstream build-to-rent and retirement living as well as social and disability housing.

Building New Communities

The January investment by GreenFort and Gaw Capital adds 750 lots to the Liven Communities platform across a pair of projects which are expected to bring the joint venture to an estimated gross value of A$750 million ($468.2 million) upon completion.

The land lease joint venture, which provides affordable living options for senior Australians aiming to downsize their homes while releasing equity for funding retirement gives residents the opportunity to own their dwelling by leasing the land beneath it from the operators.

For investors, the residential strategy reduces construction-related risks while providing cashflow from sales of homes as well as from leasing underlying plots

The January deal in Queensland came after GreenFort and Gaw Capital had established the joint venture in mid-2024 with an initial goal of scaling the platform to 1,200 homes across Australia’s east coast.

The land lease strategy forms part of GreenFort’s focus on the living sector with the company now managing A$2.2 billion in projects and assets across a variety of strategies.

Gaw Capital which has $36 billion in assets under management, has invested in living sector strategies in Japan, Greater China and other markets across the region, in addition to its joint venture with GreenFort.

BTR Session to Conclude Forum

Wednesday’s interview will mark the third instalment in this year’s Mingtiandi APAC Residential Forum after the event series kicked off last week with a panel on the Japan rental residential market with Isabella Lo, managing director, principal for investments and head of Japan for Gaw Capital Partners; Chedli Boujellabia, managing partner and CEO of Alyssa Partners and David Cheong, managing director and co-head of acquisitions for Asia Real Estate at KKR.

At 10:00 AM Hong Kong time Tuesday, a panel featuring Scape fund manager Ben Taylor; Matt Woodland, managing director for investment management at Greystar and Robert Papaleo, national director and head of living at Colliers Australia will explore the development of Australia’s living sector and how economic transformation is driving both build-to-rent and student accommodation investment strategies.

The forum will conclude at 10:00 AM Hong Kong time on Thursday with a discussion focused on the prospects for the mainstream build-to-rent sectors.

That Thursday session will include Sarah Winbur, senior portfolio manager for real estate with APG Asset Management; Dan McLennan, founder and co-CEO with Macquarie Asset Management-backed Local: Residential; Adam Hirst, co-founder and CEO of Novus and Christian Grahame, head of Australian build to rent pioneer, Home.