Exclusive Golf Course Owner Urges Council to Consider Sale Without Community Consultation at Gulf Harbour Country Club

The Gulf Harbour Country Club has officially applied for consent to divide and sell a portion of its golf course, confirming long-standing suspicions of local residents.

In August, concerned residents formed the Keep Whangaparaoa Green Spaces society to oppose an anticipated redevelopment. They were worried that the entire course might eventually be replaced by up to 3000 dwellings.

The north Auckland course has reportedly deteriorated since it was deemed unprofitable and closed to members in July.

Now, Long River Investments has outlined plans in a resource consent application to split the land and sell the northern portion.

“This application is the first step in the golf course redevelopment,” it stated.

Long River explained that the 90ha course was too large to maintain profitably and selling a 37ha plot would make things more manageable.

However, the company revealed that a deal to purchase an adjacent smaller plot of land had already fallen through. The land was owned by housing developer Hopper Developments, which is moving forward with its own development plans.

Keep Whangaparaoa Green Spaces society chair Owen Patterson is vehemently opposed to the proposed changes, calling claims of the course being unprofitable and in need of redevelopment “absolute rubbish.”

He emphasized that the society will vigorously oppose the application and any subsequent attempts to redevelop the northern part of the course into housing.

Long River Investment’s argument that public concerns are “irrelevant” was met with resistance. The majority of the land is zoned “open space” with a covenant preventing it from being anything other than a golf course for a thousand years.

Residents first became concerned in 2021 when the course was purchased by developer Gregory Olliver. Subsequently, Olliver was banned from being a company director for four years over an unpaid $836,000 earthworks bill.

Auckland Council has until December 14 to decide on whether the application will be notified, allowing residents to voice their opinions.