The Barrier Times can exclusively reveal Ngāti Manuhiri is the purchaser of the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron’s historic Kawau Island property, including Lidgard House and approximately 3.3 hectares of waterfront land at Smelting House Bay.
RNZYS Commodore David Blakey confirmed the sale in an internal memo, saying Ngāti Manuhiri was the “successful purchaser of Lidgard House and the associated land on Kawau Island”.
“Ngati Manuhiri are the mana whenua of Kawau with their Marae, Omaha being located nearby, the ancestral Marae of the Tupuna Manuhiri and all his uri,” Blakey said.
The purchase brings an end to more than three decades of RNZYS ownership of one of the Hauraki Gulf’s best-known boating properties.
The Squadron bought the property from BP in 1989 and has since used it for sailing events, regattas, youth training and member accommodation.
The property comprises six freehold titles covering about 33,000 square metres, with Lidgard House, a jetty, wharf, native bush and waterfront land.
The property was put on the market earlier this year through Barfoot & Thompson, with tenders closing in May.
The marketing described it as a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” and one of New Zealand’s significant coastal landholdings.
The final sale price has not been publicly released.
The six properties had combined 2024 rating valuations of $3.94 million, although those valuations do not indicate what the property actually sold for.
The sale was undertaken alongside Auckland property consultant Warwick “Buzz” Scown, who initially negotiated and contracted the purchase with RNZYS.
“Buzz subsequently worked with Ngāti Manuhiri to structure the acquisition and facilitate the property’s transition into its next chapter,” Blakey said.
He said Scown would retain an interest in the property.
The sale follows a lengthy process inside the Yacht Squadron over whether the Kawau holding should be sold.
In August last year, RNZYS members authorised the General Committee to sell the six titles and direct the proceeds towards the Squadron’s Foundation Fund.
A group of members subsequently sought a Special General Meeting to revisit the decision.
The Squadron rejected that request, telling members its constitution gave the General Committee authority to manage Squadron property.
“Under Clause 12.2 of the Squadron’s Constitution, the General Committee has full authority to buy, sell, lease, or otherwise manage Squadron property without the prior approval of a General or Special General Meeting,” the Squadron said at the time.
The decision to sell was driven in part by the cost of maintaining the Kawau property.
RNZYS told members in its 2025 AGM material that the annual cost of ownership exceeded rental income from Lidgard House, while maintenance was being carried out predominantly by a small group of volunteers and club staff.
It described the Kawau properties as “non-core” to the Squadron’s activities.
“The principal reason was that it costs a lot to maintain such an historic property and this had to be balanced against supporting the facilities at Westhaven and the sport of sailing, in general,” Blakey said when the property was marketed.
He previously acknowledged the strength of the connection between the Squadron and the Kawau property.
“There is a deep emotional connection to the property, and an understanding of its uniqueness in the Hauraki Gulf,” he said.
The property’s history stretches well beyond the Squadron.
Lidgard House takes its name from the Lidgard family, whose association with Kawau became closely linked with the island’s boating history.
Roy and Irene Lidgard made land available to the newly formed Kawau Island Yacht Club at a peppercorn rental, with clubrooms opening at Bon Accord Harbour in 1954.
The property became a base for regattas and visiting sailors.
In 1968, three generations of the Lidgard family were lost at sea while travelling to New Caledonia.
A subsequent mortgagee sale eventually resulted in the Auckland Motor Yacht Club acquiring the property, before the land ultimately came into the ownership of the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron.
The Squadron has used the site for decades, including its annual Kawau sailing weekend and youth training activities.
Lidgard House has also been available as accommodation for Squadron members and visitors.
The adjacent Kawau Boating Club property was previously sold by the Squadron, leaving Lidgard House and the surrounding land as its remaining major Kawau holding.
For Ngāti Manuhiri, the purchase represents a significant change in ownership of land on Kawau.
“The acquisition represents a return to Kawau, a place with which the iwi has a long and significant association,” Blakey said, relaying the purchaser’s position.
“It represents an important moment of cultural reconnection and an opportunity for the iwi to strengthen its presence and relationship with the whenua.”
Blakey said the negotiations had also identified common ground between the two organisations.
“As our negotiations progressed, it became clear that there was a strong alignment between the values and principles of Ngāti Manuhiri and the Squadron in relation to the care and future of the property,” he said.
He pointed to the Squadron’s work on the property, including a reforestation project begun in 2021 as part of its 150th anniversary.
“Our members, staff and volunteers have cared for Lidgard House and the surrounding land over many years, helping to preserve an important part of Kawau’s built and natural heritage,” Blakey said.
“Most recently, this has included our 150th Anniversary Reforestation Project, which began with extensive tree planting in 2021 and has continued through the dedication of member volunteers who have returned regularly to replant, weed and care for the area as the trees have become established.”
Under an arrangement agreed as part of the sale, RNZYS will retain access to part of the waterfront.
Blakey said Ngāti Manuhiri had “warmly invited RNZYS to continue to enjoy use of the beachfront, jetty, pontoon and lawn area twice annually during the summer months for events such as Squadron Weekend and Youth Training Week, for an initial period of 20 years”.
“Use of Lidgard House itself will be by mutual agreement on each occasion,” he said.
The Squadron’s four moorings in the area are not part of the sale and will remain in RNZYS ownership for members.
“The four RNZYS moorings were not included in the sale and remain in the ownership of the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron for the continued use of members,” Blakey said.
The sale marks the end of RNZYS ownership of the land and Lidgard House, but not the end of the Squadron’s connection with the site.
“We look forward to maintaining a positive and respectful relationship with Ngāti Manuhiri and to continuing to support the protection and appreciation of the shared history, culture and environment of Kawau Island and the Hauraki Gulf,” Blakey said.
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Ngati Manuhiri are not an Iwi!
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