Architects

What Architects does

Herbst Maxcey Metropolitan Architects (HMMA) is a New Zealand Institute of Architects (NZIA) registered architectural practice founded in 2011 by partners Lance Herbst, Nicola Herbst, and Bodie Maxcey. Operating from 18 Drake Street, Auckland Central, the firm employs approximately 43 staff and delivers full-service architectural design across eight building categories: residential, education/childcare, transport infrastructure, retail, medical/healthcare, commercial office, hospitality/accommodation, and industrial/warehouse. The client roster spans enterprise corporates (3M office base build), government agencies (Auckland Transport's Westgate Bus Depot, Waitemata District Health Board's Community Dialysis Centre), healthcare providers (Shorecare accident and emergency fitout, The Tooth Company dental clinic, One Health Remuera), education operators (New Shoots Childcare at Hobsonville and Westgate, Oracle Childcare), retail developers (Orchard Park, Rosedale, Corinthian Retail Precinct), industrial clients (Shott Campus), and hospitality ventures (Kainui Winery/Brewery/Stage).

The firm's revenue model is project-based professional services with fees quoted per engagement based on scope, complexity, and building type; no public pricing is disclosed and contract cadences are typically multi-year for larger institutional projects. HMMA is privately held with no external investment, venture capital, or disclosed ownership changes, operating as a partnership structure with the three founders actively engaged in business operations. Marketing is conducted primarily through the firm's portfolio website (hmma.co.nz), earned media in international architectural publications (Vamp Magazine, AD Russia, NZ House & Garden, Habitus, Architecture New Zealand, among others), and NZIA awards recognition — including NZIA Auckland Architecture Awards in 2002, 2009, and 2010, and a NZIA New Zealand Architecture Award (Commercial) in 2011 for the Auckland Heliport. Operational footprint remains concentrated within the Auckland metropolitan region with no disclosed AI capabilities, technology platform investments, or fundraising activity.

Name

Architects

Legal name

Herbst Maxcey Metropolitan Architects

Website

https://hmma.co.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Herbst Maxcey Metropolitan Architects (HMMA) is an Auckland, New Zealand-based NZIA-registered architectural practice founded in 2011 by partners Lance Herbst, Nicola Herbst, and Bodie Maxcey, delivering design services across residential, commercial, educational, healthcare, retail, industrial, hospitality, and transport building types.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Auckland

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Architectural Services: Professional architectural services for design and documentation of building projects across multiple sectors including residential, commercial, educational, healthcare, retail, industrial, hospitality, and transport

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

HMMA is a New Zealand Institute of Architects registered architectural practice providing full-service architectural design and documentation for building projects. The firm delivers design-led architecture across residential, commercial, educational, healthcare, retail, industrial, hospitality, and transport building types, serving private developers, corporations, healthcare providers, educational institutions, and government agencies in the Auckland region.

Product overview

Herbst Maxcey Metropolitan Architects (HMMA) is a New Zealand Institute of Architects registered architectural practice offering comprehensive architectural design services. The practice operates as a single unified service firm rather than a software platform, providing design and consulting services across multiple building categories including residential (apartments, townhouses, houses), education/childcare facilities, healthcare/medical facilities, retail/commercial centres, office buildings, industrial/warehouse facilities, hospitality venues, and transport infrastructure. Projects range from boutique single-residence designs to large-scale commercial and mixed-use developments. The firm was founded in 2011 by partners Lance Herbst, Nicola Herbst, and Bodie Maxcey.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Residential Architecture Design services for residential projects including family dwellings, apartments, townhouses, and multi-unit residential developments, for private developers and homeowners.
• Education and Childcare Facilities Architectural design for educational institutions and childcare centres, including specialized early childhood education facilities such as New Shoots Childcare and Oracle Childcare.
• Transport Infrastructure Architecture Design services for transport-related buildings such as bus depots and heliports, including the award-winning Auckland Heliport project and the Westgate Bus Depot.
• Retail and Commercial Centres Architectural design for retail developments, shopping centres, and retail precincts, including Orchard Park Retail Centre, Rosedale Retail, and Apollo Retail.
• Medical and Healthcare Facilities Specialized healthcare facility design including medical centres, dental practices, dialysis units, and accident and emergency facilities for clients such as WDHB, Shorecare, and The Tooth Company.
• Office Buildings Commercial office building design including base-build, office parks, and mixed-use office developments such as the 3M Auckland office and Apollo Tech Park.
• Hospitality and Accommodation Design services for hospitality venues and accommodation facilities, including the Kainui Winery / Brewery / Stage project.
• Industrial and Warehouse Facilities Industrial building design including warehouses, manufacturing facilities, and campus developments such as the Shott Industrial Warehouse & Manufacturing facility and Shott Campus.

Quantifiable outcome

• Auckland Heliport - NZIA Auckland Architecture Award (Commercial) 2010, NZIA New Zealand Architecture Award (Commercial) 2011
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Macrennie Commercial ConstructionminorOthersContractor for Auckland Heliport project. The firm collaborated with Macrennie Commercial Construction for the award-winning heliport development.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Patterson Architects: Auckland architecture practice with multi-sector portfolio including residential, commercial, healthcare, and education projects. Comparable to HMMA as a similarly-sized NZ practice with NZIA credentials and shared focus on healthcare/education sector work.
• Studio Pacific Architecture: Wellington-based architecture and urban design practice with strong NZIA award record across residential, public, and commercial work. Comparable to HMMA in design philosophy, multi-sector project mix, and award-led positioning, though geographically distributed across NZ rather than Auckland-only.
• Architectus: Trans-Tasman architecture and urban design practice with offices in Australia and New Zealand, working across residential, commercial, healthcare, education, and transport sectors. Comparable to HMMA as a multi-sector design-led practice with NZIA presence and overlapping sector mix, though at greater scale and broader geographic reach.
• RTA Studio: Auckland-based architectural practice known for design-led residential and commercial work with multiple NZIA awards and international publication. Closely comparable to HMMA in scale, geographic focus, design philosophy, and project type mix (residential, commercial, public).
• Athfield Architects: Long-established Auckland-based architectural practice working across residential, commercial, public, and cultural projects. Directly comparable to HMMA as a similarly-sized NZ practice focused on design-led projects with strong NZIA award history and Auckland geographic concentration.
• Cheshire Architects: Auckland-based architectural practice working across residential, commercial, hospitality, and cultural projects with strong design reputation and NZIA recognition. Comparable to HMMA in scale, Auckland focus, and award-winning design-led approach.
• Fearon Hay Architects: Auckland-based architecture practice specializing in luxury residential, hospitality, and commercial design with NZIA awards. Comparable to HMMA as a similarly-sized NZ design-led practice winning premium projects on design quality and operating in overlapping Auckland residential/commercial markets.

Broad incumbents

• Populous: Global architecture practice specializing in sports venues, convention centers, and large-scale public architecture. Comparable to HMMA in commercial/transport architecture and award-led positioning, but at vastly larger scale and focused on a different building-type niche.
• Warren and Mahoney: One of New Zealand's largest and most established architectural practices, operating across architecture, interior design, urban design, and masterplanning. Comparable to HMMA as a general-practice NZ architecture firm pursuing NZIA awards and cross-sector work (healthcare, education, residential, commercial), but at significantly larger scale and broader service portfolio.

Regional players

• Bates Smart: One of Australia's oldest and largest architectural practices with deep portfolio in commercial, healthcare, education, and residential sectors. Comparable to HMMA in sector mix (especially healthcare and education), but operates primarily in the Australian market and does not directly compete in Auckland.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/hmma_nz
• Facebookfacebook.com/HMMANZ
• Instagraminstagram.com/hmma_nz
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hmmaarchitects

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Architects