11 Dec 2025

What's going on at Auckland's Sanctuary Mahi Whenua Gardens?

From Afternoons, 1:25 pm on 11 December 2025
This is a photo of Rohan wearing a blue tshirt and standing on a pile of compost. He is holding a pair of secateurs.

Photo: Trevor Crosby

An Auckland community is disputing the development of housing on the site of the Sanctuary Mahi Whenua Gardens. 

The gardens are based on the old Unitec campus site in Mount Albert and have existed for 26 years as a community hub and education tool. 

In October the Government approved development of hundreds of homes via the fast-track bill, which garden members say flies in the face of the agreement made when the land was purchased by The Crown in 2018. 

Rohan MacMahon, a representative for the Sanctuary Mahi Whenua Gardens community talks to Jesse.