Why Re-Leased Is All In on Agentic Development

While many software teams hesitate on AI adoption, Re-Leased's engineering team has already transformed how they build—and it's opening doors for junior developers in ways nobody predicted.

Re-Leased has recently undergone a fundamental transformation towards agentic coding. Championed by CTO Tony Schollum and made possible by Re-Leased’s world-class team of supportive, smart engineers who are always ready to try something new, they’ve unlocked a research-backed way of building software.

Not only does it accelerate delivery but it also expands opportunities to bring more junior engineers into the team. At a company managing 375,000+ leases globally, this isn't a theory. It’s real-world innovation redefining how modern teams will build software.

Tony Schollum, Tech Leader Shaping the Future of Agentic Development

Tony Schollum is no stranger to innovation. As CTO at Re-Leased for five years, and having previously co-founded Solutionists in 2003, the creator of one of Australasia's leading e-commerce platforms, he's witnessed evolution in software development over 25 years. Re-Leased is a leader in commercial property management SaaS, serving 25,000+ users worldwide. Following Re-Leased’s successful launches of its customer-facing AI products—Credia in 2024 and Credia Plus in 2025—Tony and his engineering team are now channeling that same spirit of innovation inward, reshaping how Re-Leased builds best-in-class software through agentic coding. This isn’t speculation—it’s a clear, strategic move from a trusted industry leader and his team.

Tony shares his vision: "We've gone very all in on agentic coding. We've been early with all of the tools—from Copilot in the early days, we jumped over to JetBrains Rider to get AI Assistant, then to Cursor, then to Claude Code. Our next round of performance reviews will be the first time that our team are evaluated against the use of agentic coding as part of that formal review."

Accelerate Your Impact: The Power of Agentic Workflows

Imagine achieving in a day what once took a week. At a recent Re-Leased hackathon—cut down from a full week to just three days—teams built complete prototypes on the very first day that used to take the entire week. The remaining two days were spent pushing those projects further than ever before. As Tony recalls, “We shortened the hackathon to three days and increased the size of the challenges, and by the end of the first day, teams had full prototypes that would’ve taken a week before. Then they just kept going. Since then, we’ve only gotten better.”

This isn't just about coding faster; it's a fundamental shift in what it means to be a developer.

"Every engineer needs to understand a huge part of their job is now planning for, managing and reviewing the work of agents," Tony explains. "The job of our most technical people is, how do they make sure that those agents can follow the right patterns and write secure, scalable code? This is now the role of our principal engineers and tech leads: to set all of our processes up so that everybody else can fall into the pit of success with agentic coding."

The Agentic Wave Is Coming—Which Side Will You Be On?

Tony issues a powerful call to action: "I do believe the wave is going to crash and you're going to be on one side or the other of agentic coding. Whether that's in six months or two years, that'd be the thing I'm least sure about."

The choice is about your willingness to adapt and learn. The most successful engineers are those who lean into change, regardless of their experience level, especially with things changing so fast right now. At Re-Leased, Tony's team includes both those who embraced agentic coding early and experienced engineers who've had their own "aha!" moments, discovering the huge possibilities.

Across New Zealand's dynamic tech landscape, leaders at companies like Xero, Ask Nicely, Autohive and Re-Leased are actively restructuring workflows, tracking AI tool usage, and prioritising curiosity over decades of experience. There’s a clear divide emerging: some are experimenting deeply, while others are hesitating. It's a great time to jump in, try the tools, and learn Agentic Development from the outset of your career.

Learning from History: Transformation, Not Replacement

Back when Microsoft Excel emerged, many predicted the end of accountants. Instead, these powerful tools transformed accountants into strategic analysts and advisors, elevating the profession. Automation didn't destroy jobs; it redefined and enhanced them.

There’s a massive parallel with AI in software development: AI isn't here to eliminate developers; it's transforming how we work. Companies that embrace human + AI software creation take on more ambitious projects, compete in the marketplace and grow their teams, and become hungry for more developers. The role evolves from pure execution to high-value strategy, expert supervision, and creative problem-solving.

Tony highlights this phenomenal rate of change: "What's even more striking is the phenomenal rate the tools are improving. At Re-Leased, our entire engineering team has embraced agentic coding. We're already seeing the impact—not just in productivity, but in how quickly new teammates get up to speed with our patterns and practices. This has made us re-assess the profile of who we hire and are back to hiring more junior engineers." This is a testament to the power of adaptability and hands-on learning.

This shift isn't just happening at Re-Leased. John-Daniel Trask, co-founder of Autohive, is seeing the same market reality: "We've just brought on four interns, and I'm bringing on 10 more—we're drowning in companies wanting agents and capabilities built for them. The juniors are running circles around senior engineers and getting serious work done."

The Dev Academy Difference: Build With AI, Not Just Learn About It

When you look at the computer science curricula at universities like Auckland, AUT, Victoria, or Canterbury, you'll find comprehensive courses on AI theory, machine learning, and algorithms. But what you won't find is practical, hands-on training in full-stack development, with Claude, Gemini and Copilot.

Universities are excellent at teaching students about AI. At Dev Academy, we teach you to build with it. This s why we're seen as the best place in Aotearoa to learn to code and step up to a career in AI development.

Our intensive 17-week full-time or 46-week part-time AI development bootcamps integrate agentic workflows from day one. You'll

• Discover how to leverage AI as a powerful tutor and learning assistant.

• Master agentic AI workflows for robust product planning, coding and intelligent code review.

• Code with industry leading AI technologies, from Next.js, Vercel and Supabase, and get full-stack hands-on coding and real-world AI project experience.

In just 17 weeks (or 46 weeks part-time), you'll graduate with practical agentic development skills that most university CS graduates won't touch until their first job—if at all.

As JV, Dev Academy's Co-Founder, sees it: “We’re seeing a shift toward 'heads-up' developers. It’s about growing product-aware, design-aware developers who can choose the right thing to build for real users. When you put AI tools in the hands of someone with that mindset, they produce a completely different level of value compared to a traditional, process-driven coder.”

Your Moment to Leap Ahead: A Message from Tony Schollum

"Across the wider industry, there's still a divide," Tony states. "Some are leaning in and experimenting deeply, while others are holding back. The risk for experienced engineers is being too rigid or slow to adapt. The opportunity sits with the next generation: open-minded engineers who have the curiosity and time to experiment and grow up building this way from day one.

"One thing is certain: this is where software engineering is going. For new engineers, this is your moment—you have a chance to leap ahead of those still hesitating. The tools are here, the pace is accelerating, and those who embrace AI now will define what great engineering looks like in the years ahead."

Learn Where the Future is Being Built: Co-Work at Re-Leased

Want to see this in action? Re-Leased is offering four Dev Academy students the chance to co-work from their Hawke's Bay office during the 17-week programme.

Tony shares the exclusive Dev Academy offer: "You'll have the chance to co-work in our office here in beautiful Hawke's Bay. You'll get to experience a real-world, fast-paced office getting mentorship directly from our engineers, but we've only got four spots available. So if you want to be involved, get to devacademy.co.nz and select Re-Leased as your location for learning."

This is your chance to gain invaluable experience:

• Co-working directly from Re-Leased's Hawke's Bay HQ throughout your 17-week programme.

• Immerse yourself in a real-world, fast-paced tech company environment.

• Receive weekly mentorship chats directly from Re-Leased's expert developers.

• Become a part of office rituals and culture.

• Only four spots are available – this is an exclusive opportunity to get ahead, fast.

The wave of agentic development is here. Come and be part of it with us.

Apply now at devacademy.co.nz →