A ‘ghost home’ recorded as belonging to “Her Majesty the Queen” on Waiheke Island had been sitting empty since 2014, land-banked for a Treaty of Waitangi settlement.
The home at 18 Jellicoe Parade has drawn ire from Waiheke residents as they struggle with a rental shortage and inflated house prices and rent.
Land Information New Zealand (Linz) land and property manager Kate Whittle said the property was one of about 900 including former prisons, hospitals, schools and other homes managed and maintained on behalf of the Crown that were earmarked for future Treaty settlement.
It was previously a staff house for the local police, according to Waiheke-based Senior Constable Dean Arthur, who said it had been used by newcomers for a couple of years after they first arrived.
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“There used to be two police houses on the island years and years and years ago, before they offloaded them,” he said. “It is a bit of a ghost home, it’s just been sitting there.”
Whittle said the property entered Linz’s Treaty Settlements Landbank in 2000 when it was no longer required by police. Until 2016 it was with the Ministry of Justice.
“The property is part of a potential Treaty settlement with Marutūāhu Iwi Collective who initialled a Collective Redress Deed in 2018. Once the deed has been signed, it will go before Parliament to finalise the settlement,” Whittle said.
James Belfield/Stuff
This ghost house on Waiheke used to be a police staff house, but has not been used in 2014.
A spokesperson for Te Arawhiti the Office for Māori Crown Relations, said the
Ngā Mana Whenua o Tāmaki Makaurau Collective Redress Act gave the Marutūāhu Collective a first right of refusal on the property.
The Marutūāhu Collective comprises five iwi – Ngāti Maru, Ngāti Tamaterā, Ngaati Whanaunga, Ngāti Paoa and Te Patukirikiri.
The collective and iwi have been approached for comment.
Whittle said some land banked properties were leased until a treaty settlement was finalised, but the Waiheke homes was not suitable to be tenanted as it was in poor condition and not safe.
“It has been boarded up and vacant since 2014 due to the condition of the building. We have to prioritise our funding to tenanted properties and carrying out any necessary work required to ensure they are warm, dry and healthy,” she said.
Whittle said Linz regularly monitored the building, and an independent assessment recommended the building be demolished due to its condition.
“We are investigating this further. We will be working with Marutūāhu to determine their future aspirations for the site.”
James Belfield/Stuff
Linz regularly checks on the condition of the house, and boarded it up after it was found to be uninhabitable.
A spokesperson for the Office for Māori Crown Relations said the collective would have two years following settlement to elect to purchase the property.
“The timeframe for settlement, including the signing of the deed and the enactment of the deed through settlement legislation is dependent on negotiations progressing,” the spokesperson said.
“Typically, Treaty bills take one to two years to be enacted following their introduction to Parliament. In the meantime, Linz processes enable the property to be utilised, such as through a lease.”
Ghost homes have been back in the news recently after a survey revealed 10% of empty homeowners kept their properties empty intentionally, but most ghost homes were kept as holiday or second homes.
Following the investigation and a trial of methods to fill empty homes that costed $500,000, the Government scrapped the project.
A guide with lessons from the trial is available to non-profits and councils.
