Our Team

Sandra Robinson

Managing Director, Licensed Salesperson & Property Management

Sandra grew up in Whangarei but moved to Kaikohe in 1991.

As a child she wanted to be a nurse but soon realised she didn’t like the “blood and guts”. Recognising her talents lay with helping people, Sandra held a variety of customer service roles before becoming a full time mum of three. Always one to keep busy, she was also heavily involved in volunteer and community work including:

• Board of Trustees – Kaikohe West School, Kaikohe
• PTA Chairperson – Kaikohe West School, Kaikohe
• PTA Chairperson – Hillcrest Kindy, Kaikohe
• Volunteer Assistant - Blue Light Youth Aid, Kaikohe

As the children became more independent Sandra retrained, and obtained her AREINZ credentials. She has worked in real estate ever since and has been with Mid North Real Estate for over 25 years, purchasing the business in 2016.

Sandra’s favourite food is “anything cooked by someone else”. When she’s not working you’ll find Sandra on the golf course or doting on her grandchildren who she describes as “awesome… the best thing in my life!”

Casey van Engelen

Rental Property Management, Licensed Salesperson & Company Director

A property specialist for over ten years, Casey is Sandra’s daughter and makes up 50% of a very dynamic duo.

She keeps the Rental Division running smoothly, liaises between landlords and tenants, arranges repairs and does property inspections.  The Rental Property Division are Tenancy Dispute specialists with Casey leading the charge.  Her superb organisational skills are backed by a Level 4 Certificate in Computing and Business Administration. Her other assets include a great sense of humour and the compassionate view that “everyone deserves a chance”.

Casey also handles residential sales and is a licensed sales person… which is quite different to her childhood plan of becoming an airline hostie.

Originally from Whangarei, Casey moved to Kaikohe as a child and now lives in Kerikeri with her two cats. She loves hanging out with her nephews and nieces and is their self-declared “fave Aunty” which may have a lot to do with the fact that she’s into Pokemon and knows a lot of random facts (including who wrote Moby Dick).

Monika Naera

Licensed Salesperson

Monika has been selling Real Estate since 2003. She focuses on the Hokianga area, primarily in residential and lifestyle property sales, but is also experienced in rural property and commercial sales. She joined the Mid North Real Estate team early 2017.

She has a background in Architecture and Design and in building which has proven useful in helping clients to understand the building and consents processes.

She also worked in hospitality and farming.

Monika fell in love with the Hokianga and settled there in 1993, where she later met and married her husband. She attributes much of her success to an extensive knowledge of the area and her solid base of contacts.

Outside of work, Monika is passionate about horses, loves animals and spends as much time as possible in the beautiful Hokianga outdoors with her husband and dog.

Deb Wilson

licensed salesperson

You can take the girl out of Kaikohe but you can’t take Kaikohe out of the girl.  Born and raised here in the mid north area Deb Wilson is a Kaikohe girl through and through.  Raised on a dairy farm just on the outskirts of town, that property is being transformed into the exciting new industrial park.  Big things are happening around the Kaikohe area.

Attending Kaikohe East School then Northland College she met and married Keith Wilson, a local automotive icon.  Today their business Wilson Automotive remains a thriving company servicing the mid north area for automotive and diesel repairs.  

Deb and Keith have three adult children who all live and work locally.  Family is everything!!!

Deb has enjoyed a successful career in real estate over the past 20 years and has watched the mid north area transform through the good times and the more trying times.  She is reveling in the upswing in and around the Kaikohe area in particular, and is very excited to be representing a truly local company.  

When she is not taking care of her real estate clients, or helping with their automotive business, you will find Deb and her hubby out deep-sea fishing or enjoying the Kaikohe Speedway.  Join them for a beer at the local rugby club sometime. They are both avid supporters.  

Dianne Quinn

Licensed Salesperson

Describing her career as action-filled, Dianne's love for the real estate industry and her success in it, is the logical result of all that has gone before.

Over 48 years of married life, and while raising three wonderful children (and being grandmother to five.) Dianne and her husband have owned or leased eight substantial hospitality operations.

The acquisition and sale of these businesses has given her an insight into complex agreements and prepared her well for her current role. She has dealt with every level of professional advisor and now has an extensive knowledge of title issues, marketing strategies, the operation of trust accounts, best business practice and of course the all­ important real estate activities of listing, selling, negotiating as well as staff recruitment, training and motivation.

Another step into a real estate career was personally buying and selling her own investment properties, learning the processes of due diligence and calculating financial returns.

She became very familiar with real estate documentation over the years, and this has led to her current role as one of Paihia's most successful salespeople.

Dianne became a qualified salesperson in 2000, completed her National Diploma in 2005 and along with her husband opened Dianne Quinn Real Estate, initially operating as an independent company until being invited to join the Ray White group.

After successful years in operation, she has now decided to concentrate fully on selling in a professional manner, which is what she has always wanted to focus on. She brings enormous positive energy to a business competing in a diverse and competitive market. And the results speak for themselvesI

Outside of Real Estate, her spare time is spent gardening, boating and fishing and most of all spending quality time with her well-loved grandchildren.

Sarah Maraki

Rental Property Manager

Sarah has turned Mid North Real Estate's Property Management division into a real family affair. She is the younger sister of Casey and daughter of Sandra. She has Property Management running through her veins. 

Her first steps into the world of the working was as a Registered Nurse. Starting in Whangarei she later moved to Auckland. From Auckland, home was beckoning which brought her back to work as a Registered Nurse at Ngawha Prison. Following the birth of her third child she did a stint with the Plunket Society. Nursing’s loss is our gain with the commencement of her time here at Mid North Real Estate.

In her first year she has completed her level 4 Property Management Qualification and has brought her organisational skills, diligence and genuine care for people into this role. 

When not knee deep in property inspections you will find Sarah at the gym, at the park with the kids, or shopping anywhere between North Cape and the Bluff.

Liyana Munro

Office Manager

Liyana is our first point of contact for clients. She’s typically the one to answer the phones and greet walk-in clients. She also does a variety of admin tasks and assists the sales team. 

A real ‘people person’ she held a variety of customer service and retail sales roles before moving into real estate.

Liyana has lived in Kaikohe her entire life and “knows the town inside out”. When she was younger, she enjoyed spending weekends at her grandparent’s house in Ohaeawai.  Her family went camping every holiday and that is reflected in her love of the outdoors.

As a child Liyana loved maths and fancied being a Bank Teller. She’s still big on numbers and is part way through an Accounting Diploma which she hopes to finish when her children are older.

She firmly believes “family comes first, no matter what” and looks forward to spending quality time with her partner, two children, family and friends on weekends. Her favourite passtimes include dirt biking, BBQs and getting out on their boat.

Panda Naera

Part-time Reception & Sales

Panda has been helping out in a variety of roles since 2018.  She started part-time on reception and quickly gained a reputation for her enthusiastic greetings and making visitors feel right at home. After proving herself adept in customer service, including entertaining our clients’ children, she was quickly promoted into the sales team where she assists (mum) Monika Neara.

Born and bred on a farm, she moved to the Hokianga as a young pup. Panda now specialises in lifestyle and rural properties and is quick to identify land with potential to run livestock. She has a nose for a deal… and also for balls and pine cones which she loves retrieving.

Panda originally planned to be a sheepdog but soon realised how much she enjoyed meeting people so has opted for a career in Real Estate. She has really grown into her role and is so confident that she now works solely on commission, earning regular crunchy dog treats for her great work.

She eventually plans to have her own kids, but is currently working on her Degree in Kennel sales, with a major in Woofology, from the Canine University in Northland.