Ōpōtiki District Council agreed to grant Ōpōtiki Coastguard a new 33-year lease on Tuesday to help with its fundraising for development and extension of its facilities.

The Coastguard will also have the right of renewal for a further 33 years.

A report to council said Coastguard Ōpōtiki had operated from its current premises on reserve land since about 1988.

Its last 20-year lease of $72.50 annually for the 181-square-metre site at Ōpōtiki Wharf was due to expire in 2028. As part of its investigation into the upgrade, the Coastguard assessed four sites for suitability and decided the current site was most suitable.

Potential funders of planned upgrades to its premises had indicated they would require it to have a longer tenure over the land than the three years remaining on the lease.

The maximum term of lease allowed in the Reserve Act 1977 is 33 years.

Council staff put a proposal to elected members that Coastguard Ōpōtiki surrender its current lease and replace it with the longer lease.

Councillors agreed unanimously to the renewed lease and a detailed ground lease will be brought back to the council for approval. A review of the lease fee will be guided by the council’s policy guidelines on leases to community groups.