Property sold to aid Kawakawa Hundertwasser project

The Northland Regional Council has sold a Gillies St property it bought two years ago to safeguard it as a future essential link between Kawakawa’s main street and a proposed Hundertwasser Park Centre development there.

Regional councillor Justin Blaikie says the sale of the almost 1000 square metre property to development backer Far North Holdings Limited will take effect on Friday 15 June.

The regional council paid $485,000 for the 56 Gillies St property, which is immediately beside the world-famous toilet complex developed by the late artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser.

Councillor Blaikie says the council had purchased the property from its private owner in 2016 to ensure it would still be available as part of the proposed Kawakawa Hundertwasser Park Centre / Te Hononga honouring the artist, who died in 2000.

The proposal is being spearheaded by a charitable trust, the Far North District Council and Far North Holdings (FNHL).

With the project now progressing, the regional council has sold the property to FNHL (at the same price it had paid in 2016) and the sale proceeds will now return to the council’s Property Reinvestment Fund.

Meanwhile, Cr Blaikie says the regional council also has $500,000 set aside from its Investment and Growth Reserve to assist with construction of the Hundertwasser Park Centre development itself.

“The trust needs to meet a number of conditions before the money is provided, including obtaining all necessary resource and building consents and a fixed price construction tender.”

Councillor Blaikie says the trust had originally been given until 30 June this year to meet the conditions, however, at its May full council meeting, that deadline had been extended to 31 December.