Activist Penny Bright wins a reprieve over the sale of her house for unpaid rates

Penny Bright at her home in Kingsland, Auckland. Photo / Brett Phibbs

Activist Penny Bright has won a temporary reprieve to stop the sale of her Kingsland home over unpaid rates.

The High Court at Auckland has given Bright until Friday to file an affidavit as part of an application for a judicial review to stop Auckland Council selling her home.

Tenders for the house sale being handled by real estate firm Barfoot & Thompson closed at 4pm today.

In a statement this afternoon, Barfoot & Thompson said: "At this point we have had no further instructions from the High Court and the tender will still close at 4pm today."

The company said it was unable to give any information about the tenders.

Bright, a self-proclaimed "anti-corruption whistleblower", has refused to pay her rates until the council releases financial and other details of contracts to private sector consultants and contractors.

Her house has been advertised as a "mature, split-level house" with weatherboard cladding on a "mature, rear section accessed by right-of-way drive".

The home was listed after the Auckland Council asked the High Court to sell it to recoup tens of thousands of dollars in unpaid rates and penalties accumulated since 2007.

At the start of the year the council's acting group chief financial officer, Matthew Walker, said taking enforcement action to recover unpaid rates was "the last resort".