A first-home buyer's journey onto Tauranga's property ladder 30 Jan, 2021 06:00 PM 4 minutes to read John Duffield, 24, and Eves Mount Maunganui agent Dirk Merwe. Photo / George Novak John Duffield finally has the keys to his first home after months of searching A Tauranga property lawyer's home hunt has given him an appreciation for the uphill battle people are facing to get on the property ladder. Even with a budget of about $800,000, the 24-year-old Holland Beckett lawyer still battled with buyers in the heated market. John Duffield missed out on multiple properties before securing the keys to his first home on Mount Maunganui's Gloucester Rd.