D-Day looms for owners of 'abandoned' land

Far North District Council have declared their intention to get the District Court to declare several plots of land as abandoned.

The owners of seven blocks of "abandoned" land have until Sunday to stop the Far North District Council selling the properties in a bid to recover $248,000 in rates owing on them.

The blocks, all in general title and ranging from 773-7411sq m in area, are in Horeke Rd at Okaihau, Brooke Rd and Inland Rd on the Karikari Peninsula, Hihitahi Rise at Paihia, Jacks Bay Rd at Russell, Ward Dr at Opua and Mangatoetoe Rd at Kaitaia.

The council last month advertised its intention to get the District Court to declare the land abandoned because the rates had not been paid for three years or more and owners could not be found. Unless owners surfaced and arranged payment by July 19, the properties would be sold by tender with any proceeds exceeding the debt on each block going to the Public Trust.

Council spokesman Rick McCall said it was probably more than 10 years since the last council sale of this kind. Since about 2000, a couple of sales had been initiated, but payment of the rates arrears had been negotiated before blocks went on the market.

The council was liable for GST payments on rates arrears so it was renewing efforts to clear outstanding debts, with the seven blocks the first of several small titles to be considered for sale.

However, while publicity in earlier years had "brought people out of the woodwork", there had been "not much" of a response to last month's advertisement. Most of land owing rates was in deceased estates and, despite vigorous searches, no one could be contacted who would take responsibility for the properties.

The most common way for the council to resolve the debt, particularly with rural land, was to get adjoining landowners to take over the properties, Mr McCall said.

It was unclear who owned some "slivers" of land created by road realignments and, in other cases, owners abandoned properties damaged by slips.

"A slip damaged the 1648sq m residential block in Ward Drive at Opua and the owners walked away because it was no longer any good for them," Mr McCall said.

Council sale of abandoned land is authorised by the Local Government (Rating) Act 2002.

Mr McCall said if the council was unable to find buyers or people prepared to take over responsibility for the land, the properties would remain on the council books and continue to accumulate rates until a solution was found.