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Mangawhai Sailing Club (MSC) is looking to secure its future by seeking council approval for land use to build a permanent facility for sailing enthusiasts.
MSC Commodore Craig Whitehead presented a proposal at a recent Kaipara District Council (KDC) meeting, outlining the need for a long-term sailing facility and education hub at Sellars Reserve.
“We don’t want to become an elitist sailing club,” Whitehead said. “Our intention is to become a community asset, providing a community focus and encouraging lifelong participation in a sport that embraces and enhances the harbour.”
The club is seeking a partnership with the council in the form of security of tenure — a long-term peppercorn lease (licence to occupy) for estuary-edge land with road access. The club says this certainty would help unlock philanthropic investment, sponsorship, and grant funding for the project.
This marks the next step for the newly incorporated society and registered charity, which is affiliated with Yachting New Zealand.
The club hopes to build on the strong foundation created by the Mangawhai Rotary Club’s Learn to Sail programme, which has provided free sailing lessons to more than 100 children on the Mangawhai estuary and the Yachting New Zealand’s RŪNĀ programme, delivered to at least 200 children per year through schools.
“There were a large number of children coming out of the Rotary Learn to Sail and RŪNĀ programmes who had nothing to progress into. Our club was created to give children access to facilities that support them to become lifelong recreational sailors who can take advantage of our harbour,” Whitehead said.
MSC is a financially independent club run by a team of dedicated volunteers, supported by community organisations, including the Mangawhai Op Shop and Grassroots Trust. Its main challenge is the lack of permanent land needed to store boats, with volunteers currently spending significant time transporting them to and from the estuary.
“We spend a massive amount of time on logistics and gear handling. We move boats from different people’s backyards down to the estuary. Without permanent infrastructure, our growth is capped, and we risk losing the momentum we have built,” he said.
“Our medium- to long-term vision is a sustainable maritime sailing hub at Sellars Reserve. This would dramatically reduce the volunteer workload, provide a home for sailing, and serve as a base for informal education, which is how many people learn to sail. We see this as a long-term asset for Mangawhai.”
The growing club hosts bi-weekly sailing events, adventure sails, and family picnics, and recently celebrated another successful ‘Fill the Harbour with Sails’ event held on Waitangi Day.
“We have the kids, we have the passion, we have coaches. Now we ask for support to help secure the next 20 years of sailing in Mangawhai. Help us build the dream to fill the harbour with sails.”
