Waiheke Island Rugby Club, Waiheke United Association Football Club and the Waiheke Historical Society’s Museum have all had their community leases renewed, with rent set at $1 per year and no maintenance fees.
The organisations have been on a ‘peppercorn rent’ for years but under the 2023 update to the Community Occupancy Guidelines, Auckland Council recommended their annual rent be increased to $1300 plus GST, with similarly massive hikes for maintenance fees. In 2025, Waiheke Musical Museum, Waiheke Community Cinema, Waiheke Community Art Gallery and the Catherine Mitchell Art Centre all said the increased cost would likely be a death knell for their organisations. The previous local board used their discretion to nix the recommended increases and renew the leases at the same rates they had previously.
Full story in this week’s Gulf News……. On sale now
© Waiheke Gulf News Ltd 2025
