Council consultation on revoking reserve land status behind Woolworths Kerikeri now live

A Far North District Council consultation regarding a proposal to revoke the reserve status of a small section of council reserve land behind Woolworths Kerikeri is now live.

Far North residents have a month to provide their feedback on the proposed status change, which would see a small section of reserve land, alongside another small section of adjoining council-owned land, absorbed by Woolworths landowner, Investore Property Limited.

The consultation comes following a request from the Investore Property Limited to incorporate the two sections of council land into their title, to allow for the repair and ongoing maintenance of a shifting retaining wall.

The wall (which holds up the south-west side of the supermarket site) has been slowly moving over the years, leading to a slumping of the structure and encroachment onto the council land.

If the proposal is accepted by the council, it will relieve the council of any future maintenance and enable repairs to the retaining wall at no cost to ratepayers.

Before council reserve land can be sold, however, its reserve status must first be revoked.

Under the Reserves Act 1977, the council must seek public feedback to decide whether to revoke the reserve status of the affected area and obtain approval from the Department of Conservation before any sale can proceed.

Photo caption: The proposed land for sale, indicated by the dashed white line above, involves a small part of Lot 10 recreation reserve (in green) and a small adjoining section of Lot 6 (in yellow).

Both pieces of land are relatively small, with the proposal affecting approximately 21.35 square metres of recreation reserve land and 32.05 square metres of council-owned land (a combined area of about 53 square metres).

While the retaining wall extends around 65 metres, it encroaches onto council land by a maximum of 43cm at its widest point.

Photo caption: The blue shading within the oval shows the section of reserve land being considered for sale, with the red line representing the adjoining council-owned land. Both sections are being proposed to be sold together, with Woolworth's Investore Property Limited set to own and maintain the entire section moving forward.

Anyone interested in the proposal is encouraged to share their views by completing an online survey.

Feedback can also be submitted by email to submissions@fndc.govt.nz, by post, or by dropping off a hard-copy survey at any FNDC service centre or library. Alternatively, you can request to share your feedback verbally by emailing us at submissions@fndc.govt.nz or by phone on 0800 920 029.

Feedback closes on Sunday 15 November 2026.