- Paula Bennett has sold Motuketekete Island in the Hauraki Gulf to an overseas buyer with NZ residency.
- The island, listed for $10m, was sold by Bennett and co-agents Kellie Bissett and John Greenwood.
- The buyer plans to keep the island’s bach and maintain its natural landscape without over-development.
Paula Bennett has sold an island.
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Motuketekete, the nearly 24-hectare island in the Hauraki Gulf, had been on the market since the beginning of March 2023, with the former deputy Prime Minister tasked with finding a buyer.
The island was snapped by an overseas buyer who has been a New Zealand resident for a year. The sale price remains private for now, although the island did carry a hefty price tag at the start of its campaign.
Bennett, who now works for Bayleys Real Estate, was the co-listing agent with Kellie Bissett and John Greenwood.
Paula Bennett previously described the island as priceless. Photo / George Novak
Greenwood told OneRoof: “I can’t quote the price but it’s public knowledge it was on the market for $10m.”
The sale has settled now, but Greenwood said the price may not appear in the record for some time.
“The buyer is now a New Zealander, he’s been here for a year so that enabled him to buy the island. He hadn’t boated around the area before, but its appeal was as a holiday place,” he said.
“His intention is not to over-develop it. He’ll look at trying to put in a jetty, and there’s a lovely little bach he’ll keep for visitors. But it’s New Zealand – he doesn’t want to build a big mansion, he wants to stay humble in the landscape.”
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Greenwood added that selling their island was a hard decision for the vendors “but life moves on and [islands are] expensive to keep”.
The island was one of New Zealand’s most viewed properties, but Greenwood said it needed someone to make an offer on paper to get it sold. “There have only been two islands that have sold in the last two years and I did both of them,” he said.
The agent, who specialises in luxury Northland lifestyle properties, said Americans had been particularly keen on buying lodges in New Zealand, adding that accommodation businesses would now qualify as investments for foreign buyers under the Government’s newly announced rules.
“Believe me, the Americans are coming in a big way. They want to get away from Trump and they are looking at New Zealand in the investment category.”
The island comes with a rustic two-bedroom bach. Photo / Supplied
The former deputy PM on the island. Photo / Supplied
When the property hit the market, Bennett told OneRoof it was a “priceless” piece of real estate.
“It feels remote and yet you don’t feel you are miles away from everything. At night you can see the lights sparkling on the mainland and it doesn’t look that far away and yet you have this utmost privacy in this absolute beauty,” she said.
The island, which is 15 minutes from Auckland by helicopter, had been in the same family’s hands since 1907. It boasts three beaches and rolling countryside of mostly pines, with some pockets of native bush.
Bennett has made a name for herself in real estate since she left politics in 2020. She is Bayleys’ national director for customer engagement, and deals with the agency’s wealthier clients. She also hosted the first season of the reality TV property show, Rich Listers.
For those who missed out on Motuketekete, nearby Pakatoa Island is still up for grabs, although they’ll need to check their Swiss bank to see if they can afford it. The owner of the 24ha property in the Hauraki Gulf, multi-millionaire John Ramsey, wants $60m-plus, up from the $40m he was advertising a year ago.
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