Park contested in court
Two parties are battling over a slice of an ’’idyllic’’ north Auckland property following a relationship breakdown.
Matakana Country Park started as a dream sparked in director John Baker while walking through Butchart Gardens on Vancouver Island.
He was looking for a site to create a similar destination and found one on the corner of Leigh Rd and Takatu Rd near Omaha and began turning it into reality in 2003. Now dubbed the ‘‘Unforgettable Experience’’ the park boasts The Stables restaurant, Art Matakana, The Military Arts Club and confidence course, St Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, equestrian facilities, Matakana Weddings and more, with an estimated worth of more than $10 million.
Real estate agent Pamela Bourne registered a Notice of Claim to the property, claiming beneficial interest as a de facto partner of Baker’s for 13 years.
Court documents show Bourne claims she was in a de facto relationship with Baker from 2003 to 2015 after meeting him in her capacity as a real estate agent acting for the vendor of a 20.8 hectare property. Baker’s company, Matakana Museum Limited (MML), purchased the property for $590,000.
Matakana Country Park was established there which Bourne claims she helped set up and contributed to both financially and non-financially. The two lived in apartments on the property for a number of years she alleges, and upon separation, she instructed counsel to enter into a separation and relationship property agreement with Baker.
In evidence, Baker denied the two were in a de facto relationship claiming they were in a ‘‘non-exclusive’’ girlfriend/ boyfriend relationship. Bourne’s only contribution to the Matakana Country Park was to pick colours for the fireplace blocks in the restaurant, Baker alleges. She did not contribute financially or non-financially to the property or relationship, he says.
In the reserved judgement of Judge Belinda Pidwell released this month, Bourne’s Notice of Claim was upheld. ’’Whether the applicant’s claims ultimately succeed is a matter for subsequent determination, but there is an arguable case,’’ Judge Pidwell wrote in her decision.