2026 AND BEYOND - our vision for the future
As Auckland grows and intensifies, the Sanctuary Mahi Whenua gardens and food forest will be preserved as a public shared space and will continue to be recognised as a biodiversity hub fostering permaculture principles. It will remain a place for all to visit and enjoy, with the adjoining Oakley Creek/Te Auaunga Walkway through the Sanctuary Mahi Whenua made more accessible and further enhanced.
The image above is an extract from Unitec's 2015 updated submission to the Auckland Unitary Plan. It includes the Sanctuary Mahi Whenua as part of its intention for the area to become one of the most liveable villages in the world.
Click on the image to view the entire M1 masterplan.
CURRENT state
The Sanctuary Mahi Whenua continues to be open to and enjoyed by the wider community. Sanctuary members care for the space with the communal gardens providing food for sale at the Grey Lynn Farmers market, with some of the proceeds being donated to local charities. Educational workshops and visits continue to take place at the Sanctuary, despite the ongoing and substantial difficulties in accessing the open space. To read more about how the community is benefiting from The Sanctuary Mahi Whenua, check out the community page.
The advocacy journey we are undertaking as a Society to protect and preserve the Sanctuary Mahi Whenua as an entity has not been easy. In June 2017, the Society was informed that the Sanctuary Mahi Whenua area was most likely to be the first block of land on the Unitec campus sold for development. On 12 December 2017, we were told to vacate the land by 1 May 2018.
A 25 March 2018 announcement of the decision by the Government to purchase the land for its Land for Housing development programme removed the requirement to vacate the site. Hppily the sale and purchase agreement between Unitec and the Government resulted in the insertion of Clause 25.4 that assured the preservation of the Sanctuary Mahi Whenua as an entity with a safe future. However, at the beginning of 2024, this sale and purchase agreement was breached, with planned development being sited directly on top of the garden area.
In May 2024, the Society placed a caveat on the land title. The Crown sought to remove the caveat at a High Court hearing on 12 December 2024, which we opposed. The judgment received on 30 May 2025 stated that the Society had a justifiable reason for placing the caveat. The Crown appealed this judgment, and a Court of Appeal hearing took place in Auckland on 3 November 2025.
The Court of Appeal sided with the Crown and dismissed the Society’s claim. We are now seeking redress through the Supreme Court.