A greenfield site with scale and new zoning designations on the fringe of Dargaville, the primary rural service town in Kaipara District, has been placed on the market for sale as its owners seek to divest now-redundant former racecourse land.
The property at 5331 State Highway 14 is a corner site with dual road frontages and access from State Highway 14 and Awakino Point Road, around 4km west of Dargaville.
Long-time owners Dargaville Racing Club Incorporated (DRC), along with the Dargaville Community Development Board and Te Runanga o Ngāti Whātua, initiated a private plan change for the circa 47-hectare rural site after its governing body New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing axed a number of thoroughbred race tracks around the country due to falling profitability across the industry.
DRC had hosted horseracing events at the site since 1914, with the last races held in 2018.
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With the private plan change approved by the Kaipara District Council and accepted into the operative District Plan from September 2024, the land is now designated General Residential, Large Lot and Industrial.
This overlay opens the door to a master-planned precinct to address Dargaville's identified shortage of residential and commercial land for expected future population growth.
The zoning would support more than 400 residential dwellings with some potentially part of a retirement village development, a number of lifestyle blocks, and around 24 light industry sites.
The mostly flat rectangular site is elevated at the northern corner and there are some existing racecourse buildings of varying ages, along with a pony club building.
The land is subject to a short-term grazing lease returning net annual income of $15,000 plus GST.
The property is being marketed by Henry Napier and Marty van Barneveld of Bayleys and is for sale by deadline private treaty closing 4th December, unless sold prior.
Napier says the land naturally became surplus to DRC requirements when horseracing operations ceased, and the intention was always to sell the land once it had been through the rezoning process.
"Partnering with the Dargaville Community Development Board and Te Runanga o Ngāti Whātua, and a with a grant from the Provincial Growth Fund, investigation into more intensive use for the site was undertaken.
"A proposal for a private plan change to allow greater development on the land to complement the existing Dargaville town centre was seen as a way to help the community grow over time, and to add to the local economy by creating industrial/commercial lots to attract new business to the area.
"DRC is not in the property development game, so they are highly motivated to sell the landholding and are looking for interest from the development sector and landbankers."
While live-zoned and with more intensive development potentially the highest and best use for the greenfield site, van Barneveld says this is not likely to happen overnight.
"It would effectively be a landbank opportunity for a well-capitalised entity that may look to undertake piecemeal development across the site as organic demand for more housing and industrial capacity in Dargaville grows.
"There is also potential to create a number of lifestyle blocks, particularly on the elevated part of the site, and with the wider Northland area popular with those wanting a bit of land to spread out on, this could be an early component for a new owner to explore.
"Viewed through a long-term lens, this is one of the largest integrated urban development opportunities in Northland."
Dargaville has around 5,000 residents, with the town centre located on the banks of the Wairoa River at the intersection of State Highway 14 and 12.
- Supplied by Bayleys
