The public bar at Hotel Ponsonby, with its timber bar back, tiled floor and arched windows — Hotel Ponsonby

Mother's long stone counter with the bakery and wine shelves behind — Hotel Ponsonby

Baird & Company

We create hospitality venues from the ground up: concept, design, fit-out and operation.

Venues All venues

Hotel Ponsonby dining room with fireplace and green panelling

Hotel Ponsonby Public bar, bistro and beer garden · Ponsonby

Glass brick, steel and wall lights at Mother

Mother Bakery and wine bar · Grey Lynn

Lilian dining room seen past open shelving

Lilian Neighbourhood bistro · Grey Lynn

Have a space that could become a venue?

We work with landlords, property developers and building owners on new and underused sites, as operators and as property partners.

Work with us

Venues

Ponsonby · Opened 2020

Hotel Ponsonby

After two failed operations in the former Ponsonby Post Office, Hugo took over what was widely considered a cursed site. Hotel Ponsonby opened in November 2020 and has since become a Ponsonby institution. The heritage building now houses a public bar, a bistro and a beer garden. It takes its cue from the great Australian pubs, where several distinct spaces sit under one roof. The result is a pub that serves a wide mix of people, from regulars at the bar to families and large groups.

What: Public bar, bistro and beer garden
Where: 1 Saint Marys Road, Ponsonby
Building: Former Ponsonby Post Office (1912), Heritage New Zealand Category 1
Opened: November 2020
Conceptualised: Hugo Baird
Design: Hugo Baird with CTRL Space
Owner: Hugo Baird
Awards: Silver, Hospitality, 2021 Best Design Awards Commendation, 2021 Eat Drink Design Awards Finalist, Hospitality, 2021 Interior Awards
Online: hotelponsonby.co.nz ↗Instagram ↗

Hotel Ponsonby dining room, with a curved booth, green panelling and tall windows onto the street

The timber bar and back bar in the public bar

A long curved booth and octagonal tables beside the green panelling

Red umbrellas, timber benches and stools in the beer garden

Bar leaners and stools on the chequered tile floor

Timber stools on the chequered tile floor

Seven photos · swipe

Grey Lynn · Opened 2025

Mother

A bakery by day and a wine bar by night. Everything is made in house and in full view, with the bakery, kitchen and bar opening straight onto the room. The making is the theatre. The name is a tribute to the founders' three mothers.

What: Bakery and wine bar
Where: 403 Richmond Road, Grey Lynn
Opened: September 2025
Conceptualised: Hugo Baird
Design: Hugo Baird with CTRL Space
Owners: Hugo Baird Willy Gresson Owner and venue manager Petra Galler Owner and executive chef
Awards: Gold, Hospitality, 2026 Best Design Awards Winner, Hospitality, 2026 Interior Awards
Online: motherauckland.co.nz ↗Instagram ↗

Glass brick wall and faceted stone counter

A butter-yellow table against walnut panelling

Seven photos · swipe

Grey Lynn · Opened 2019

Lilian

Lilian opened on Richmond Road in 2019 with chef Otis Gardner Schapiro and Willy Gresson, and is already regarded as a Grey Lynn institution. The 70-seat restaurant serves European sharing plates and wood-fired pizza, with wine from around the world. The interiors are inspired by timeless European restaurants. Upstairs, a 14-seat private dining room was completed in 2024.

What: Neighbourhood bistro
Where: 472 Richmond Road, Grey Lynn
Opened: 2019
Conceptualised: Hugo Baird
Design: Hugo Baird with CTRL Space
Owners: Hugo Baird Otis Gardner Schapiro Owner and executive chef Willy Gresson Owner
Awards: Gold, Hospitality, 2020 Best Design Awards Winner, Hospitality, 2020 Interior Awards Commendation, 2020 Eat Drink Design Awards
Online: lilian.co.nz ↗Instagram ↗

Lilian's dining room, with a long leather banquette and wall lights

The Lilian name set into the mosaic tile floor at the entrance

A leather booth in the corner of the dining room

The private dining room, with a long marble table and ruffled pendant lights

A marble table set for dinner, from above

Seven photos · swipe

What we do

Hospitality venues that bring something new to New Zealand.

We take pride in the detail. Every part of a venue gets the same care, from the fit-out and how efficiently it runs to the team we build and the standard of service.

We partner with shareholders who bring value to each project through their own unique set of skills. Concept, design, team, partners and operation come as one package. It is how Hotel Ponsonby, Lilian and Mother have become three established, award-winning venues.

Our ambition is to keep creating world-class venues that add something to their communities and to hospitality in Auckland and across New Zealand.

Lilian's Richmond Road frontage at dusk, with guests at tables outside

The long room at Mother, from the bar to the street windows

1
Concept
We define what the venue will be, who it is for and how it will trade, starting from the site itself.
2
Design and fit-out
Hugo leads the design of the layout, interiors and fit-out.
3
Opening
We build the team, set the menu and put suppliers and systems in place before the doors open.
4
Operation
We run the venue day to day once it is open.

Partners

We bring partners into our concepts to strengthen them.

See the venues

Willy Gresson, Hugo Baird and Petra Galler at Mother

Who we work with

We take underused or new spaces and turn them into venues that draw people in.

A busy venue adds value to its building and to the neighbourhood around it.

Landlords and building owners

Vacant tenancies, heritage buildings and spaces that have proved difficult to let.

Property developers

New buildings and precincts, with kitchens, extraction and services planned in from the early design stages.

Commercial property partners

We are open to taking a role on the property side, as well as operating the venue.

Investors

Some of our new venues are open to investors.

To hear about future projects, register your interest and we will be in touch.

Register interest

Work with us

People

Hugo Baird

Principal

Hugo is in charge of finding and assessing new opportunities. He conceptualises each venue and oversees it once it opens, creating spaces that are unique to Auckland and New Zealand. He works closely with each team to make every venue original and run to a high standard.

He started out in bars and restaurants in Sydney and Auckland, including Al Brown's Depot. He cut his teeth opening Crumb, then Honey Bones, two Grey Lynn cafés that were both later sold. He has gone on to open Lilian in 2019, Hotel Ponsonby in 2020 and Mother in 2025.

Gatlin Avery

Head of Operations

Gatlin works alongside Hugo across the business. He leads operations at Hotel Ponsonby, Mother and Lilian, streamlining how the venues run, making each one more efficient and managing supplier relationships across all three. He is also involved in new sites, leases and openings.

He and Hugo have a long history of working together, beginning at Depot. Gatlin was the opening venue manager of Hotel Ponsonby, then moved to the UK to work in wine distribution before returning to take up his current role.

Work with us

Tell us about your space.

We work with landlords, property developers, building owners and investors. Share the details below or email us directly.

Baird & Company

Venues

Hotel Ponsonby

Mother

Lilian

Hospitality venues that bring something new to New Zealand.

Concept

Design and fit-out

Opening

Operation

Landlords and building owners

Property developers

Commercial property partners

People

Hugo Baird

Gatlin Avery

Tell us about your space.