Purchase of Abel Tasman beach confirmed

A sale and purchase agreement for the Abel Tasman beach that was bought for the public through a crowd-funding scheme has been finalised and the payment transaction is set to go ahead next week.

Almost all of the pledges made to buy the stretch of beach on the Awaroa Inlet have been cleared while more continue to roll in.

A Givealittle campaign kicked off on January 22 by Christchurch man Duane Major raised over $2 million and the government gave $350,000 to top up the pledges for the successful tender.

Major said 99.15 per cent of the pledges made through Givealittle cleared, and some of the people whose credit card transactions declined have been fulfilling their pledges directly to the lawyers acting for the campaign.

Major said he thought that the people continuing to give donations the actual total for the pledges cleared could be 100 per cent, a concept he is thrilled with.

"I think that is an incredible result. It shows that deep down we really are honest Kiwis."

The transfer of the land to public ownership could begin next week, Major said.

"The finances are done. We're looking at the transfer happening next Thursday."

The money collected through Givealittle will be transferred to the vendor and the beach title transferred to the Awaroa Beach Property Trust, an intermediary trust established to hold the title until it is formally a national park.

Major has previously said he wanted the land to be gifted to New Zealand on Waitangi Day next year, but it could happen earlier than that.