Former Shortland Street actor Ido Drent has long been acquainted with property. Well before his acting career, he began renovating small apartment blocks and working with community organisations to provide housing for families in need. Now, that early-in-life passion has solidified into a thriving property development company: Elaman.
It’s a firm with a clear ethos: design that balances affordability with quality. The company’s goals were amalgamated with learnings from Ido’s early work, specifically supporting the Salvation Army to provide homes for mothers rebuilding their lives after completing custodial sentences. “I realised then that the homes we build can have a huge impact on people’s lives,” Ido says. “That experience connected me to the idea of doing good in the world through my work.”
So, after stepping back from his acting career, Ido set his sights on property development with purpose, determined to lift the standard of affordable and community housing in New Zealand. Under his leadership, Elaman has so far delivered more than $100 million worth of projects across Auckland, creating over 100 homes that combine considered design and community values.
The company’s latest flagship development in Mt Albert, Olympus, is a community of 87 homes built around vast shared green spaces — a model, Ido says, for how urban density can still feel generous, connected, and distinctly ‘Kiwi’
“Olympus was designed to lift Kiwis up — in the pursuit of creating a community that balances well-being with affordability, we are laying the groundwork for a neighbourhood where all residents can thrive,” Ido explains.
The low-rise development incorporates one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments across four buildings, all connected to the central shared green spaces. Complete with dog wash stations, e-bike storage, EV charging stations, fruit trees, and rain water harvesting, the development also overlooks Mt Albert’s Murray Halberg Park.
Apartments at Olympus are selling now, with construction due for completion in February 2026.
