Councillor speaks out against sale
A Manawatu¯ district councillor has spoken out about a behindclosed-doors move he says could cost ratepayers.
The district council is considering offering a Feilding property it owns to the Crown, likely well below what a private buyer would pay and denying the council a much-needed cash injection.
The South St property, valued well in excess of $2 million, could be obtained by the Crown for its Treaty Settlements Landbank and used in future Treaty of Waitangi settlements.
If an iwi accepts the property, the market value is subtracted from a settlement.
Cr Andrew Quarrie said the move was bad business and 139 South St should be put to themarket to benefit council coffers as much as possible.
Offering it to just one buyer was ‘‘appalling governance’’.
Property records show the 2.7 hectare section’s capital value is $2.7m and the land has a government valuation of $2.4m.
‘‘I’m not concerned who buys it,’’ Quarrie said. ‘‘I just want it sold to the highest bidder. Everyone should have the opportunity to buy it.’’
Manawatu¯ mayor Helen Worboys said no final decision about the property had been made. The matter was discussed at a public-excluded part of a council meeting.
However, the matter appears in council agendas, as it did for December’s meeting, under: ‘‘Sale of land on South St, special development zone, Feilding’’.
The council cited not prejudicing negotiations for having the discussions in private.
It’s the same forum in which the Palmerston North City Council approved a $391,000 economic grant to Toyota New Zealand in 2017, a decision revealed amid much public acrimony two years later. The South St property is home to commercial premises and an iwi office.
Worboys said it was disappointing a councillor had decided to go to the press over a matter discussed and agreed by a majority of councillors in the confidential part of a meeting. ‘‘Given we cannot discuss detail of the confidential meeting and the confidential nature of the discussions, we are expecting an offer from the Crown to come to [the] council for 139 South St.
‘‘Once this offer is received, it will come to [the] council for a decision. All councillors will have an opportunity to offer a view and vote on any offer that is received.’’
Lil Anderson, the chief executive of the Office for Ma¯ori Crown Relations Te Arawhiti, said it had met with the council to discuss the possible purchase of 139 South St for the Treaty Settlements Landbank.
The office hadn’t yet provided advice to Government ministers about whether the property should be bought. ‘‘In general, properties are land banked in the Treaty Settlements Landbank in order to preserve the ability of the Crown to provide redress in Treaty settlements.’’