ORA was founded by James Goodhue (LinkedIn), a Development Director with 15 years’ experience delivering residential and urban regeneration projects across Aotearoa New Zealand — from boutique 10-lot subdivisions to $500 million housing and infrastructure programmes.
Having worked across government, iwi/Māori, non-profit, and private sectors, James brings a rare combination of financial rigour, public-purpose understanding, and systems-level thinking. He is skilled in feasibility analysis, financial modelling, and leading multidisciplinary teams through every stage of the development process — from concept to completion.
What drives James is the belief that development can be a force for regeneration rather than extraction — creating enduring value for people, place, and local economy. He sees housing development as one of the most powerful levers for systemic change: a way to restore connection, dignity, and belonging to communities while strengthening the living systems that sustain them.
Through ORA, James is pioneering a new model of housing-led regeneration — one that blends financial rigour with deep care for the land and the communities it serves. His vision is simple yet transformative: to prove that when development is guided by guardianship, trust, and regeneration rather than speculation and extraction, the land and people can thrive.