The battle over leasehold ground rents around Auckland's Quay Park galvanised some of New Zealand's top valuation and legal experts.
Ngati Whatua engaged commercial barrister Liam McEntegart, formerly of Simpson Grierson, along with expert valuers Reid Quinlan of Segars & Partners and Sean Molloy of Extensor.
The leaseholders engaged IainGribble, a director of valuation business Gribble Churton Taylor and an Institute of Valuers' past president. He has more than 40 years' experience in Auckland, Wellington, New Plymouth and Invercargill and specialises in work relating to the Public Works Act.
Gribble said the scale and number of properties in cases, which ran separately, were large.
"There were seven properties that needed decisions around the same time - two from the first arbitration and five from the second," he said.
Properties at issue were BNZ at 30 Mahuhu Cres and GE Plaza at 8 Tangihua St and residential leaseholders of 317 properties: 112 townhouses on Cotesmore Way, Sudbury Tce and Dovedale Place, the luxury 125-unit Mirage apartments and more than 80 units in nearby Parnell Terraces.
The leaseholders had valuers Campbell Stewart of CB Richard Ellis and Nigel Dean of Colliers International.
A decision from Robert Fisher QC is to be released in the next few weeks.
