Applause filled the room as the host read out her name again. At the recently concluded Barfoot & Thompson annual awards, Cici Wang returned to the stage to collect several honours:
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National Partnership of the Year: place 4（#4 Sales Partnership Overall, to end March 2026）
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Remuera branch sales ranking: 1（Top Salesperson, Remuera Branch, to end March 2026）
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Eastern Suburb Partnership of the Year: place 1（#1 Sales Partnership, Eastern Suburbs Region, to end March 2026）
Cici Wang has maintained outstanding results like these for many years.
Awards from previous years:
Company-wide
#2 Sales Partnership Overall, 6 months ending September 2025
#8 Sales Partnership Overall, to end March 2025 #6 Sales Partnership, 6 months ending September 2024
#4 Sales Partnership, to end March 2024
#1 Sales Partnership to end March 2023
#1 Sales Partnership, to end March 2022
#1 Sales Partnership, to end March 2021
#3 Sales Partnership, 6 months ending September 2020
#5 Sales Team, to end March 2019
#9 Sales Team, 6 months ending September 2018
#8 Sales Team, to end March 2018
#10 Sales Team, 6 months ending September 2017
Top 25 Salesperson 2015
Top 25 Salesperson 2014
Top of Branch
Top Salesperson, Remuera Branch, 6 months ending September 2025
Top Salesperson, Remuera Branch, to end March 2025
Top Salesperson, Remuera Branch, 6 months ending September 2024
Top Salesperson, Remuera Branch, to end March 2024
Top Salesperson, Remuera Branch, to end March 2023
Top Salesperson, Remuera Branch, to end March 2022
Top Salesperson, Remuera Branch, to end March 2021
Top Salesperson, Remuera Branch, to end March 2020
Top Salesperson, Remuera Branch, to end March 2019
Top Salesperson, Remuera Branch, 6 months ending September 2018
Regional Awards
#1 Sales Partnership, Eastern Suburbs Region, 6 months ending September 2025
#1 Sales Partnership, Eastern Suburbs Region, to end March 2025
#1 Sales Partnership, Eastern Suburbs Region, 6 months ending September 2024
#1 Sales Partnership, Eastern Suburbs Region, to end March 2024
#1 Sales Partnership, Eastern Suburbs Region, to end March 2023
#1 Sales Partnership, Eastern Suburbs Region, to end March 2022
#1 Sales Partnership, Eastern Suburbs Region, to end March 2021
#1 Sales Partnership, Eastern Suburbs Region, 6 months ending September 2020
#1 Sales Team, Eastern Suburbs Region, to end March 2019
#1 Sales Team, Eastern Suburbs Region, to end March 2018
#1 Sales Team, Eastern Suburbs Region, 6 months ending September 2017
Cici Wang: Over $1.7 Billion in Results – Proven Market Leadership
For many people, being a top salesperson means results, transactions and numbers. But clients who have worked with her tend to use different words: “reassuring”, “reliable”, “sincere” and “someone who truly sees things from the client's perspective”.
Perhaps these qualities explain why she has remained among the industry's leaders for so long.
The following is Cici Wang's account in her own words.
I never planned a career in property, yet it has lasted decades
If you asked whether I imagined working in real estate when I was young, the answer would be no.
I attended a leading secondary school and university in Shanghai, graduating with an engineering degree. Before coming to New Zealand, I worked for a wholly French-owned company. My work often took me to consulates to arrange visas. It was then that a chance encounter with the New Zealand embassy changed my life.
In January 1997, I left my stable job and came to New Zealand. Now, 29 years later, New Zealand has long since become my home.
My child was still young when I entered real estate. I wanted a job with relatively flexible hours that would allow me to look after my family, so I became a real estate agent. Of course, I had no idea then that it would demand all-day effort, 7 days a week, and take even more of my time and energy.
I feel naturally suited to real estate, or to sales, because I truly love property. Wherever I travel in the world, I always notice properties and seek out information about them: different architectural styles, interior and exterior materials, landscaping, relevant laws and taxes, policies for overseas buyers, and so on.
That is why I have often felt that real estate has never been just a job for me. It is something I truly enjoy and am willing to commit to over the long term.
It has never been just about knowing how to sell houses
Over the years, I have worked with clients at many different stages of life. Some are young families buying their first home, some are moving up the property ladder, and others are investing as part of their asset allocation. Some, of course, have had to sell their homes during the most difficult times of their lives.
Do results matter in real estate? Of course they do. But lasting trust matters even more.
For me, real estate has never been just about completing a sale. Many clients are buying the most important home of their lives, with family, investment and future plans all behind the decision. I have always believed that an agent's real value lies not simply in completing a transaction, but in helping clients make the right choice for themselves.
Some clients have told me that what reassured them most was “knowing what was happening at every step”. Others say that even a complicated transition between selling and buying became much smoother with my help. Some were initially sceptical about selling at auction, but ultimately achieved not only a successful sale, but a result beyond their expectations.
Others describe working with me as an experience with someone professional, calm and experienced, who truly considers things from the client's perspective.
Client feedback
First testimonial:
Choosing Barfoot & Thompson was a wise decision in itself. As Auckland's largest real estate company, it has a substantial team and extensive market reach. Cici is an experienced agent who truly understands the market, works professionally and can be trusted.
From the outset, she developed a clear, straightforward sales strategy for us and provided timely updates after every open home, keeping us informed throughout the sales process.
Initially, I was sceptical about whether an auction would successfully sell our home. But Cici stood by her assessment. In the end, she brought two bidders to the auction. That far exceeded our expectations, and we were very happy with the final sale price.
Second testimonial:
Buying a home with Cici Wang was a very enjoyable experience.
From the beginning, she was friendly and approachable, making it easy for me to ask all my questions without any pressure. She was very patient and took the time to truly understand what I needed in a home.
“Throughout the buying process, she guided me smoothly through each stage and always responded promptly whenever I contacted her.
What I appreciated most was her honesty and directness. She never put pressure on me, instead offering clear, honest advice.
Her dedication and professionalism made a home-buying process I had expected to be very stressful much easier.
I would certainly recommend her to anyone looking for a reliable, responsible real estate agent who truly cares about her clients.
To me, these comments mean more than any individual sales figure.
Behind top sales results lies perseverance others rarely see
I entered real estate in 1998. Back then, there was no GPS, no mobile apps, and certainly no WeChat or short-form videos. Selling houses meant putting in long hours and covering countless kilometres. We were still using basic paper diaries, recording each day's appointments and client details by hand.
I still vividly remember attending my first awards ceremony.
This year, standing on the stage once again, I felt a great many emotions.
Those days are long gone. The years pass like a song, and our faces grow older. What has remained unchanged is the dedication and hard work I have maintained for more than twenty years.
Over the years, I have experienced the market at its best and witnessed the industry's most difficult periods. My professional knowledge and business skills have naturally continued to develop, but more importantly, this work has also continued to shape my character. I know very well that no one in this industry can satisfy everyone. But I have always believed that, at the very least, clients who choose to support me should feel that entrusting their property to me was the right decision.
Over the years, more and more homeowners in Remuera and the surrounding areas have come to know me through word of mouth and recommended me to friends and family. Through a succession of positive, smoothly managed transactions, many clients who began as complete strangers have gradually come to know both me and the Barfoot & Thompson Remuera branch.
As a real estate professional with a long-standing focus on Auckland's prime areas, particularly Remuera and the Double Grammar Zone (DGZ), I have always hoped to keep moving forward and improving as my experience grows year by year.
Outside work, I also love life
Many people imagine a top performer as someone who is always operating at full intensity and capable of anything. In reality, outside work I am also someone who loves life. Real estate is demanding and high-pressure, and stress is almost inevitable. That is why I have always placed great importance on finding ways to truly relax and recharge.
Reading quietly on my own is my favourite way to relax and continue developing myself. I have also played badminton regularly for many years. However busy work gets, I try to make it to the court at least twice a week. It is more than exercise: it is an important way for me to relieve stress. I also enjoy gardening and love flowers and plants. I am happy to spend time tending them, watching them grow and appreciating these small but tangible pleasures in life.
Of course, what I love most is travelling further afield. Visiting unfamiliar countries, seeing different buildings and experiencing local cultures, religions, history and landscapes offers more than relaxation: it is another way to learn and observe the world. Perhaps because of my work commitments, I have not yet been able to travel slowly for an extended period. But I look forward to the day when I can.
Even so, I have never lowered the standards I set for my work. I know that clients entrust me with more than a property transaction: they place their trust in me. Every year brings new figures and new records in this industry. But trophies alone have never been what people remember.
Those who remain at the forefront of the industry over the long term usually offer more than the ability to sell houses. What matters is whom clients think of first when they need help. For many clients, that person is Cici Wang.
What makes someone memorable over the long term is never a single achievement, but consistent care, reliability and professional expertise that people can trust.
After the Barfoot & Thompson annual awards ceremony on 17 May, Cici Wang shared these reflections on social media as she celebrated her latest honours:
Tonight, I attended the Barfoot & Thompson national awards gala once again.
The familiar lights, the familiar applause, the familiar stage.
But the person standing on that stage is no longer the inexperienced, apprehensive young woman who first entered the industry all those years ago.
Decades have passed, the years flowing like a song.
Our faces age, youth slips away, and so much of the time we have lived can never be recovered. The exhaustion of sorting paperwork late into the night, the pressures and hurts no one knew about, the determination to push on through market downturns… Looking back now, they have all become some of life's most treasured medals.
The 2026 financial year just ended was undoubtedly a difficult one for the entire real estate industry. With a subdued market, cautious buyers and slower sales, every step was harder than before.
Yet this year, I still chose to give it everything.
To treat every client with care, and give every conversation, negotiation and sale my full attention. I have always believed that lasting success comes not from luck, but from responsibility, reputation and trust built over many years.
Tonight, I have so much to be grateful for.
Thank you to all the clients who have supported and trusted me;
Thank you to the friends and colleagues who have helped me along the way;
And thank you to the part of me that, time and again, chose not to give up under pressure or in difficult times.
Because all that effort will ultimately be rewarded.
Tonight, I celebrate my achievements:
???? Fourth place, Barfoot National Partnership of the Year
???? First place, Partnership of the Year for the Central area including the Eastern Bays (Eastern Suburb)
???? First place, Remuera branch
Among more than 1600 agents at Barfoot & Thompson, being able to maintain consistent results year after year and continue earning clients' recognition and trust is something I remain deeply grateful for and truly treasure.
As a real estate agent who truly loves this career, my greatest source of pride is doing this work well day after day and earning the recognition and trust of so many people.
Hard work is rewarded.
All perseverance will eventually bear fruit.
The awards belong to tonight,
but what truly deserves to be treasured is the original purpose and passion that have stayed with me throughout the journey.
Tonight, I thank everyone who has helped and supported me;
Tonight, I also celebrate the part of me that has kept going and never given up!