Plan to buy land at Northland's Ngunguru Sandspit for public ownership over due to lack of funds

An ambitious plan to fundraise money to buy land at the base of Ngunguru Sandspit has been abandoned after the finances for the deal could not be raised.

An ambitious plan to buy land at the base of Ngunguru Sandspit and place it in public ownership has failed due to a lack of funds.

Much of Ngunguru Sandspit was put into public ownership in 2012, when the Government bought the property from Todd Property Group, formerly known as Landco, which was then put into public ownership.

This came after years of campaigning by the Ngunguru Sandspit Protection Society (NSaPS), but concerns remained for the southern end and Whakairiora Mountain, which were still in private ownership.

The Givealittle campaign seeking $1.5 million of the $3.6m sale price was organised by the Ngunguru Sandspit Protection Society after it signed a conditional sale-and- purchase agreement with the present owner of the land, development company Templeton Commercial.

However, NSaPS chairman Jim Kilpatrick said the society was now unlikely to purchase the southern end of Ngunguru Sandspit and Whakairiora Mountain for public ownership.

''The campaign by NSaPS to purchase Ngunguru Sandspit (South end) and Whakairiora Mountain, a total of 69 hectares, from development company Templeton Commercial Ltd, and its transfer to public ownership with Reserve status and management under a tripartite agreement between Department of Conservation (DoC), Tangata Whenua and NSaPS, has been suspended following cancellation of the Sale and Purchase agreement because finance could not be raised by the deadline of February 28, 2022,'' Kilpatrick said.

Ngunguru Sandspit Protection Society chair Jim Kilpatrick is disappointed the society's plan to buy land at the base of the sandspit has ended.

A Givealittle page which has been running since December 2021 will now end, and donations totalling $107,830 will be refunded in full to donors. The NSaPS account holds $68,000.00 of other donations and these too will now be refunded in full, he said.

Funding for the project was also sought from Nature Heritage Fund (a branch of DoC), Whangārei District Council, Northland Regional Council, and an anonymous philanthropic co-funder.

The launch of the Givealittle campaign and resulting media coverage drove broader awareness of the cause, resulting in opposition to the proposed purchase from a wider group of hapu members from the area.

The NSaPS proposal sought to transfer the land, if acquired, to public ownership, whereas the hapu group wants ownership by a hapu or iwi entity due to it being sacred and ancestral land, with many wahi tapu areas of significance.

Kilpatrick said the NSaPS proposal was supported by the mandated representatives of the TeWaiariki, Ngati Korora, Ngati Takapari Hapu Iwi Trust.

''While NSaPS is extremely disappointed that public ownership and community use as a Reserve may not be achieved, it is very pleased to be the catalyst which may bring to an end of ownership by a succession of private developers,'' he said.

It's believed Templeton will shortly be inviting offers for the land from interested parties.