Oyster builds stronger foundations for innovation through technology leadership and managed services

Laying the foundation for digital growth

For more than 20 years, Oyster has helped investors unlock the long-term potential of New Zealand’s commercial property market. 

With a premium portfolio of retail, office and industrial assets valued at approximately $1.8 billion, the business manages investments on behalf of retail, wholesale and institutional investors across New Zealand. Its focus is simple and disciplined: invest in quality commercial property assets, deliver strong long-term performance, and create consistent returns for investors. 

While technology has long played an important role in supporting those operations, Oyster recently reached a point where it recognised technology could contribute more strategically to the future direction of the business. 

That realisation led to a greater investment in technology planning, governance, cybersecurity, data and innovation, alongside the creation of a dedicated technology leadership role to help turn strategy into action. 

"We recognised technology was becoming an increasingly important part of how we operate and grow as a business," says David Horner, IT Leader at Oyster. "There was a clear desire to invest more deliberately in technology and ensure we were ready to capitalise on the next wave of innovation and digital change." 

From outsourced IT to strategic technology leadership

Like many mid-sized organisations, Oyster had historically operated with an outsourced technology model. 

Day-to-day IT operations were managed through external partners, allowing the business to focus on its core activities of property investment, asset management and investor services. 

As the organisation evolved, however, it became clear that operational support alone was no longer enough. 

The business had already completed strategic technology planning and identified opportunities to improve internal processes, strengthen cybersecurity, modernise data capabilities and introduce artificial intelligence. What was needed was greater focus and accountability to help drive those initiatives forward. 

David joined Oyster in 2025 as part of that shift.

"The business had done some great thinking and planning already," he says. "There was a clear direction. The challenge was creating the capacity and focus needed to turn that strategy into meaningful action." 

Today, Oyster employs around 70 people across Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Hamilton, supporting a diverse portfolio of commercial property assets and investment funds. 

As the business continues to pursue growth opportunities, technology is increasingly viewed as a strategic enabler rather than an operational necessity. 

The evolving role of managed services

The organisation has partnered with Fusion5 for a number of years, relying on managed services to provide a stable, secure and well-managed technology environment. Today, that relationship is evolving beyond traditional operational support into a broader technology partnership that helps Oyster navigate new opportunities and emerging risks. 

"The operational environment is table stakes," David says. "It needs to be stable, reliable and performing at a level the business expects. If that foundation isn't there, everything else becomes more difficult." 

While reliability remains critical, Oyster increasingly sees managed services as an important contributor to the organisation's broader technology strategy. 

As priorities have expanded to include cybersecurity, governance, data and AI, the relationship with Fusion5 has become more proactive and collaborative. Regular planning discussions, roadmap reviews and technology assessments help identify both risks and opportunities, ensuring Oyster can continue evolving its technology environment while maintaining operational stability. 

"It's important for us to have partners who can contribute beyond operational support," says David. "The day-to-day services need to work, but we also want access to people who can bring ideas, challenge our thinking and help us navigate areas where specialist expertise is required." 

Importantly, many of the foundations required to adopt emerging technologies confidently are already closely connected to the managed services environment. Cybersecurity, governance, platform management and data practices all play an important role in ensuring innovation can occur securely and sustainably. 

Building the foundations for agentic AI

Artificial intelligence is also becoming an increasingly important area of focus for Oyster. 

The organisation sees significant potential for AI and agentic technologies to improve productivity, automate routine processes, strengthen data analysis and support better decision making across the business. 

There are also opportunities to enhance how information is accessed and utilised across investor services, operational processes and internal teams. 

"People are identifying practical opportunities where these technologies could remove friction, improve efficiency or help them work more effectively," says David.  

While the opportunities are compelling, Oyster is equally conscious of the importance of getting the foundations right. 

As organisations move beyond experimentation and begin deploying AI more broadly, considerations such as governance, security, data quality and operational oversight become increasingly important. 

Building an agent is relatively straightforward. Operating, governing and securing AI capability at scale is a far more complex challenge. 

That reality has shaped many of the conversations Oyster is having with Fusion5 as the organisation explores its next phase of AI adoption. 

Alongside identifying potential use cases and opportunities for automation, both organisations are also considering the operational, security and governance requirements needed to support AI capability as it becomes more embedded across the business. 

For Oyster, that reflects the value of a technology partnership that extends beyond day-to-day support. 

As Oyster continues to invest in technology, its focus is on creating the foundations, governance and operational capability needed to confidently adopt and scale agentic AI across the business. 

The objective remains constant: helping Oyster operate more effectively and continue delivering strong outcomes for investors and tenants.