Tribe to buy Defence Force land

Many personnel at the Devonport Naval Base will have Ngati Whatua as their new landlord when yesterday's agreement with the Crown to settle their outstanding Treaty of Waitangi claims is finalised.

As part of the agreement, Ngati Whatua will be given the opportunity to buy up to $80 million worth of land beneath 330 homes owned and occupied by the Defence Force at Devonport, Bayswater, Belmont, Hauraki Corner, Takapuna and Northcote.

Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations Minister Mark Burton and the Defence Force stressed there would be no impact on Navy staff, who rent their homes from the Defence Force at below-market rates.

Defence Force spokeswoman Lieutenant Vicki Rendall said: "At the end of the day there is going to be no immediate change to how our Defence Force housing is run."

Under the arrangement, Ngati Whatua will buy up to $80 million worth of land and lease this back to the Crown. The cost of the purchase will be borne through a rental holiday of up to 35 years for the Crown, effectively covering Ngati Whatua's initial $80 million cost.

The terms of the lease between the Crown and Ngati Whatua will mirror as closely as possible the rights of freehold ownership.

The Defence Force will continue to own the houses, rent them to personnel and pay for improvements.

Lieutenant Rendall said it would not be known how much land in the 10 blocks containing the 330 houses would be purchased by Ngati Whatua until valuations were done on the land.

Ngati Whatua will also be given a right of first refusal over the remaining North Shore naval housing land.

The agreement in principle also gives Ngati Whatua the first right of refusal to buy surplus Crown land across much of the Auckland isthmus, including the central business district, stretching from Avondale in the west to Orakei and Ellerslie in the east.

The area includes about 120 Crown properties, including schools, police stations and properties owned by Land Information New Zealand.\

New landlord

The Defence Force land is in 10 blocks at:

Devonport: Ngataringa Rd/Wakakura Cres.

Bayswater: Beresford St, Roberts Ave/Plymouth Cres.

Belmont: Alamein Ave/Montgomery Ave, Corrella Rd/Egremont St, Hillary Cres/Eversleigh Rd/Lowe St/Rutherford St.

Hauraki Corner: Marsden St, Birchfield Rd/Francis St.

Takapuna: Tennyson Ave.

Northcote: Potter Ave/Ko St/Greenslade Cres.