Our Team

Ruth’s authentic, people-oriented approach gets results. She currently holds Ray White’s top accolade, International Supreme Salesperson – beating a field of 5,000 salespeople from 1,000 offices throughout eight countries to the title. Not bad for a local!

Motivated to deliver the best results for her clients, Ruth’s early career in nursing matched her empathetic drive to make a positive impact on people’s lives. But real estate is in Ruth’s DNA and it wasn’t long before she joined her mother Lesley Hawes at the helm of The Locals sales team.

Always known to go the extra mile to fine tune every detail of a sale, her integrity inspires confidence and a sense of ease with clients. Ruth’s commitment to establishing great relationships and understand clients’ needs, her positive and effective negotiation style and good old-fashioned work ethic are essential to her approach.

With the support of a dedicated team around her, there's no doubt your property decisions are in great hands when you're working with Ruth.

Tim’s friendly, positive personality and background as a teacher make him naturally client-focussed and results-driven. His social, easy-going nature is balanced by a determination to find exactly the right solution for clients – working on the understanding that the quality of his relationships and solid work ethic can make an impact for people at an important transition in their lives.

Growing up in the Hawes family it was perhaps inevitable Tim would join the family trade at some point. His background in the real estate market was established from a young age delivering flyers, answering Lesley’s phone and spending hours in her car listening to Brian Tracy tapes between appointments and to and from school.

Since becoming one of ‘The Locals’ at Ray White 10 years ago, Tim has made his mark on every corner of the business –  having been hands-on in all aspects from property management and marketing to administration and office management.

A valuable member of our sales team, Tim’s accumulated knowledge, positive negotiation style, opportunity focus and open approach to communication ensure clients achieve the results they want and enjoy the journey to the next chapter of their lives.

Mark joined the team in 2018 and hit the ground running, fast becoming an integral part of The Locals team. Mark's positivity remains unwavering through the high demands and long hours with a never ending enthusiasm and drive.

His background in construction has provided him with an excellent skill set which blends naturally with his client focused nature. After completing his Masters degree in Ireland, Mark travelled across the world in search of a new challenge and he has since excelled in real estate with an emphasis on building (no pun intended) and maintaining relationships.

Specialising in assisting first home buyers, Mark's ability to help clients feel at ease in high pressure situations is paramount in getting the best result for all parties and his knowledge and communication skills ensure a smooth process for vendors and purchasers alike.

You will find Mark out and about at open homes, at our on-site auctions, hosting viewings, putting up open home signs and helping with the multitude of other essential tasks necessary to ensure the delivery of the smooth sales process we pride ourselves on! He is always happy to help. No job is too big or small!

Tui joined The Locals team at Ray White Kingsland in 2010 after graduating with a Visual Arts degree, and she has worked with them in one way or another ever since.

Her charming and unflappable approach plus excellent interpersonal skills quickly made her an invaluable asset to the team. Tui has taken on new challenges every year and puts her creative talents to use as the go-to for all things design and marketing.

From property brochures and screen displays to our expanding social media, website and marketing endeavours, Tui’s natural flair for design combined with a Gen Y technological adeptness makes her the ideal person to take the lead on this increasingly important aspect of our business.

Her willingness to take things on and go the extra mile along with the dedication and care Tui puts into everything she does is a true reflection of the values we hold dear here at The Locals.

Vanesa will be the one to greet you when you call or come to The Locals Kingsland office and we know her ready smile and professional manner will make you feel very welcome and well looked after! With an eye for detail she takes great pleasure in getting things done right no matter the size of the task.

Vanesa has experience in the advertising industry having worked as a production assistant - she is passionate about photography and her skills working with creative software adds huge value to our team with her help in perfecting our marketing material and advertising.

Her first introduction to the real estate industry was as a tenant liaison officer followed by an administration role then a promotion to a Business Development Manager and Project Manager. As project manager she was responsible for auditing and tracking performance of rental portfolio over different sectors. She also spent time working as a Property Manager with responsibility for a portfolio of rental properties before she joined our team.

When we met Vanesa, she was looking for a new challenge but wanting to stay in the real estate sector and we knew straight away she was the perfect fit for us!

It’s very likely that Emma will be the first person to greet you when you walk in our doors and as a self described people person we just know she will make you feel welcome.

Prior to joining the team here at The Locals Ray White, Emma obtained her salespersons license and spent six months working as a sales associate getting a feel for the industry. Add to that her comprehensive history working in reception / administration and PA roles and a genuine interest in Real Estate she is the perfect person to help you with any query you may have.

Emma brings an enviable calm to any situation and as a bubbly, friendly person who genuinely loves working with people she is always willing to go the extra mile!

Hugely capable and extremely efficient (with two capital Es!) Rachel was an integral part of setting up the family business at Ray White Kingsland in 2006. “Borrowed” from a very successful job in Wellington she originally had intentions of returning to her excellent government department job – but blood is thicker than pretty much anything as they say, and thank goodness we still have her here.

Rachel's diverse array of skills comes from a wide and varied career ranging from hospitality management, HR and payroll through to IT auditing and corporate finance. Her superb attention to detail and a logical approach to problem solving (and getting things done!) add a fabulous dimension to The Locals management team.

Initially on board to set up the internal systems and administration for the office when we opened Rachel then took on the responsibility of starting up The Locals Property Management Division in 2007. In this hugely important arm of the business we now have a team of 5 and close to 300 properties in our care and we’re proud to see it going from strength to strength. Rachel also works closely with the sales team supporting Ruth and Tim and is becoming an integral part of this side of the business as well. She can be seen often hosting open homes, coordinating photo shoots, at auction nights and anywhere she is needed!

Always on top of her game and usually moving at speed, Rachel is totally committed to providing outstanding customer service and her many happy clients will tell you that ‘going the extra mile’ is something she does each and every day.