Auckland Council Confirms Plan to Halve Takapuna Golf Course

POSTED ON August 18, 2025 @ 12:39 pm

Auckland Council has confirmed it will proceed with its controversial plan to reduce Takapuna Golf Course from 18 holes to nine, despite strong opposition from the local golfing community and public support for alternative solutions.

Council representatives met with Takapuna Golf Course stakeholders on Friday to assess a proposed “Shoal Bay Solution,” which aimed to both resolve the Wairau Valley’s flood risk and preserve the full course. The community-backed plan had gained significant traction, including a petition with more than 10,000 signatures and an endorsement from Hall of Fame golfer Dame Lydia Ko.

However, Council’s Director of Resilience and Infrastructure, Barry Potter, confirmed that after independent peer reviews, iwi consultation, and discussions with agencies such as NZTA Waka Kotahi, the decision stands to convert half of the course into a wetland and dry detention flood storage area.

“This project is about saving lives, protecting homes and businesses, and strengthening Auckland against future flood risk,” Potter said. “We acknowledge this decision is challenging for the golfing community, but there will be no further consideration of alternative options. Our work is now progressing into the preliminary and detailed design phase.”

The move follows the devastation of the Auckland Anniversary floods in January 2023, which hit Wairau Valley particularly hard and tragically resulted in the loss of lives. Council has said the co-funded project with central government is critical to preventing a repeat of such events.

Key Points:

Takapuna Golf Course will be reduced from 18 holes to nine holes.
Half of the current course will be converted into flood storage and recreational space.
The Shoal Bay diversion proposal, backed by the community and Dame Lydia Ko, was rejected as “unfeasible.”
Council maintains the project is a matter of public safety, climate resilience, and infrastructure protection.

While the council’s decision delivers certainty for the project’s next phase, it marks a significant loss for Auckland’s golf community, which had rallied strongly to retain one of the city’s most accessible public courses in full.