Golden Bay Kayaks says selling the council‑owned land it leases at Tata Beach could end its long-standing operation, as Tasman District Council seeks public feedback on the site’s future.
The council is calling for submissions on the sale or lease of 29 Cornwall Place, one of several properties identified as potentially surplus to requirements.
Three options are open for consultation through the Shape Tasman website: sell the entire site on the open market; sell part of the site to Golden Bay Kayaks and retain the remainder as reserve land; or retain the status quo by continuing to lease the land to the business.
The freehold site neighbours reserve land at 31 Cornwall Place and is used by the public for beach access, with informal carparking at the rear.
Golden Bay Kayaks owners Lisa Savage and Tony Bateup say selling the land in full would be “fatal” for the business. They are also questioning what it would mean for the site’s public access to Tata Beach.
The business operates across two adjoining sections on Cornwall Place – number 27, which the couple owns and where they have built their home, and number 29, which serves as the long-standing operational base.
Council documents state the company “has operated for more than 30 years from the adjoining property at 27 Cornwall Place and has historically leased part of 29 Cornwall Place for kayak storage and operational purposes”.
Tony says “29 is instrumental” to their business, housing most of its equipment, including 35 kayaks, up to 10 paddle boards, life jackets, spray skirts, flares, and other gear. It is also where they liaise with customers.
“There’s just no way we could get people and kayaks in there,” Tony says of operating from number 27 alone.
He says the reliance on leased land has long been a vulnerability, and the couple has explored other sites in the bay without success.
They are wary even of retaining a lease, saying they have already “had the rug pulled out” when rent renewal discussions were delayed in 2024, only for the council to return this year with the current proposal.
“While a lease remains an interim option, it does not provide long-term certainly for public access or land use.”.
The council says it wants to guarantee public access to that end of Tata Beach and will work to ensure that happens, regardless of the consultation outcome. However, it could not confirm whether any sale conditions would ensure this.
“31 Cornwall Place is council owned so access may be established through there, but it is yet to be determined.”
Option A - buying the section outright - is also not viable for Lisa and Tony, who took over the business about 15 years ago.
“We wouldn’t even entertain it,” Tony says. “I don’t know if we’d ever get to the point where we’d be able to sustain it.”
The council has not placed a value on the property for a full or partial sale, saying any price will need to be determined through a market valuation process.
Quotable Value lists the capital value at $1.073m.
The couple supports a partial sale, saying it could secure the business’s future while protecting public access.
“[It] means that our business obviously gets a future, public access is retained, [and] council gets some money,” Tony says.
Lisa says she understands the council’s financial pressures. “But we still need to live and earn in this area.”
The owners say the business sees between 10,000 and 15,000 customers a year, many staying at least two nights in the region. It also employs and trains graduates from across the country and supports local schools with peppercorn rentals of equipment.
They contribute to Friends of East Mohua and the Mohua Blue Penguin Trust, and assist with local Search and Rescue efforts.
“We are the first to be called in the case of an emergency on the water and are called to about five water rescues a year.”
Submissions are open via the Shape Tasman website at https://shape.tasman.govt.nz/cornwall.
