At 23, he lost a million dollars.

By 24, he was mowing lawns.

What followed was a rebuild from the ground up,  from liquidation talks, bank meetings that changed everything, and a decision to keep going when most people would have stopped.

In this episode of Stretton Unfiltered, we sit down with Matt Stark, property developer behind some of Hamilton’s most recognisable spaces, including Riverbank Lane and MADE in Hamilton East. Matt shares the raw reality behind building a business, the early days of uncertainty, and how a long-term belief in Hamilton’s city centre shaped everything that followed. We explore the $110M deal, the failures that came before success, and why he believes retail, community, and city making are still deeply human at their core.

We explore:

• Losing everything in his early 20s and starting again.
• The mindset shift from survival to city shaping.
• Why Riverbank Lane became a turning point for Hamilton CBD.
• The thinking behind MADE and its evolving ecosystem of makers and retailers.
• Decisions that prioritised people over profit.
• Why relationships, not rent, have driven long-term success.
• And what comes next when you’ve already built more than you ever planned.

This is a story about risk, resilience, and rebuilding a city one decision at a time.

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