NZ's first youth search and rescue huts for sale

The land, buildings and farm housing New Zealand's first search and rescue youth training facility - which also doubles as a regional Scout camp - have been placed on the market for sale.

The land, buildings and farm housing New Zealand's first search and rescue youth training facility - which also doubles as a regional Scout camp - have been placed on the market.

The working dairy farm sits at the base of the Kaimai Range and has several huts and outbuildings which make up a youth training camp compound. The buildings encompass bunk/dormitory style bedrooms, a central classroom, shower and toilet facilities, and partially-covered gas-powered cooking and kitchen amenity.

The structures were originally working men's huts used by engineers on the nearby Kaimai rail tunnel in the 1970s and were transported to the site by members of the scouting fraternity.

Following an upgrade of the premises to bring the huts back up to a habitable state with the installation of insulation and off-the-grid sources, Youth Search and Rescue took over responsibility for the site in 2009. Since then, about 325 high school students have attended Youth Search and Rescue training camps on the property.

The buildings and camp are operated and managed by the youth search and rescue organisation - the first training facility of its type to be set up in New Zealand, which acts as a recruitment conduit for the full search and rescue body nationwide.

The charity uses the facility 12 to 15 weekends a year thanks to a 43-year 'gentleman's agreement' with the farm's original owner David McNeil and son Peter who took over the dairying operation before passing away earlier this year.

Youth Search and Rescue general manager Steve Campbell said he hoped any new owner of the farm at 3596 State Highway 29 near Matamata would look at the camp enclave from a philanthropic point of view, and continue to let the youth organisations continue to have access rights under their current agreements.

"The site has an incredible community legacy to it, both in the Bay of Plenty and the Waikato, and that legacy would be fantastic for any new owners to continue," Mr Campbell said.

The 262ha property is being marketed for sale at auction on November 9 through Bayleys Hamilton.

Salesman Neville Jacques said the property was primarily a working dairy farm - milking 186 cows in a relatively new two-year-old rotary shed, which produced 55,262 kilograms of milk solids in the 2015/2016 season.