By ANNE BESTON
Conservationists who had campaigned over a prime Coromandel coastal property were stunned by their own success this week when the Government forked out $3.54 million to buy it.
Top-level support of the kind Forest and Bird and the Environmental Defence Society received over the Waikawau Bay land is not
always so forthcoming.
The whisper on the deal was that word came direct from the ninth floor of the Beehive, and subsequent events appear to bear that out: the Government raided its capital contingency fund to top up the Department of Conservation and Nature Heritage Fund contributions of $2 million towards the land price.
The Government's tender was the highest: $3.54 million.
The campaign for public ownership of the land began as soon as owner Auckland University put it on the market with a minimum price tag of $3.5 million. The 149ha coastal farm sits at the northern end of beautiful Waikawau Bay, one of the last untouched beaches on the Coromandel Peninsula.
The property was gifted to the university by an American millionaire to help fund an expanded business school, but the university always appeared less than comfortable in its role as vendor.
Despite the pressure to do a deal, the university stuck to its guns: $3.5 million or no sale.
One of the main reasons for that was the Government's "partnerships for excellence" programme, whereby universities get a Government dollar for every dollar they raise privately.
No one is saying whether the final deal involved cash only or some other kind of arrangement such as debt retirement or more dollars under the partnerships for excellence scheme.
While buying privately owned land for conservation is often fraught with controversy, this deal appears to have pleased almost everyone.
New Conservation Minister Chris Carter passed his first real test with flying colours, New Zealanders have gained another slice of coastal paradise and even the real estate agents were happy.
Guy Taylor, of Bayleys Real Estate, said it would have been "heart-rending" for the Waikawau Bay land to have been locked away by private owners.
"I loved it, loved taking people over it and I'm glad it didn't go into private hands."
Herald Feature: Environment
