NZ: Gulf Harbour site turns to ruin

Gulf Harbour Country Club was one of the highest regarded golf courses in New Zealand before it was suddenly closed down in July 2023.

Since then, the country club building has been targeted by arsonists, while the greens, fairways and paths have become overgrown, with weeds getting out of control.

Dozens of locals have rolled up their sleeves and started cleaning up the abandoned Gulf Harbour Country Club on the Whangapāraoa Peninsula, which its owners left to rot.

Duncan Millar, who is part of the Keep Whangapāraoa’s Green Spaces (KWGS) group, which opposes any property development of the 170-hectare site, said the local community was growing frustrated about what had happened to the once immaculate-looking golf course.

“A lot of people have written to us at KWGS to ask us to do something about it, which we’ve never really felt it was our role to do,” Millar said.

“This was something that the council should be insisting the landowners step up to their obligations and deal with these problems.

“Other problems come as well, when the land becomes more derelict, you become aware of people who are not normally in the area appearing, rubbish getting dropped, motorbikes using it to do whatever, creating great ruts in the ground, all sorts of stuff.”

The owners of the golf course, Long River Investments are believed to have been looking to sell off parts of the land, but this isn’t straight forward, as there is a 999-year covenant on the land for it to be used as a green space.

“It’s clear that the landowner isn’t going to step up to their obligations, they haven’t so far anyway, so we’re going to need to keep going,” Millar said.

“The thing that’s happening is it’s making the community more resolute that they’re going to hold onto this green space. So it’s a very interesting story that’s unfolding here.”

Millar hopes that someone will eventually buy the golf course from its current owners and restore it to its former glory.

“There really are only two viable uses of this land, one is as a golf course, and one is for housing,” he said.

“There is nothing else that’s going to create or sustain a business case for the use of this land. “Really, we need a golf course, and maybe we need to have a golf course where there can be more sharing of the resource with the community and it isn’t just a golf course.”

Local councilor Wayne Walker said the group should be commended for the work they’re doing.

“It reflects the situation around the golf course, where under the current ownership it’s been severely neglected,” Walker said.

SOURCE:

(NZ) Auckland Council withdraws application to liquidate Gulf Harbour Country Club