Kia ora koutou MGAC members and community,
Our outdoor range on the Ōwairaka maunga has been a fixture since the early 1950s. We have enjoyed a lease from Auckland Council for many years. In 2014 the tūpuna maunga (ancestral mountains) were given to a combination of mana whenua (Māori) and Auckland Council to co-govern. Since that time we have worked closely with the Tūpuna Maunga Authority on our range usage and lease arrangements. The TMA have supported us but we have not been able to “level up” our space: despite a ton of advocacy, our outdoor clubroom is still a shed from 1957 and we now occupy the range only 5 days in each week.
Our most recent formal lease/licence with the TMA was from December 2022 to November 2023 and included a massively increased cost of more than $7,000 per annum. Since this expired, we have been actively working with the TMA to receive a new lease, hopefully for a longer period.
An update on our lease
Despite earlier positive signs, a new lease has never come to pass and unfortunately we found out on Thursday 31 July 2025, confirmed on Monday 4 August 2025, that our lease has been recommended for termination to further the TMA’s work to return the maunga to its natural state. The TMA is reducing its numbers of leases and we are unfortunately next in line to be removed. Committee members and advocates have been working constantly since this point to secure the most positive path forward.
We have requested a further two years of time on the range while we and TMA/Auckland Council search for our new grounds, to September 2027.
This decision will not change anything about our memberships, our coaching programmes, or events on the range for the immediate future. We will still be the same Mountain Green for quite a while to come.
While the timelines of the notification and meeting have not felt very fair, we have little power in this situation as we have no current lease in place and the TMA has no obligation to retain us on the maunga.
The search for new grounds
We have already been working with the TMA, Auckland Council, and more widely to identify potential new grounds for many years now. Thanks to everyone who has contributed over many years to these meetings and efforts.
We are open to all possibilities including and purchase anywhere in the Auckland region. We are confident that between Council/TMA, public lands, and private lands, we will be able to find a new home for MGAC that enables us to be even more than we are now.
What you can do
We are committed to the vision of the future where our club is a more free modern sport excellence centre. This needs your help: if you can help the property search then please reply and let us know. You don’t need to quit your day job for this! Just put your hand up and help a little bit.
While you may feel disappointed and upset at the TMA’s proposed decision, the committee believes that nothing positive can be gained for the club and your fellow members by naysaying or protesting against the TMA. Let’s spend our energy focusing on the positive future we can create together.
Recent press/publicity
On Friday 8 August 2025, our future was the subject of an NZ Herald article which received significant feedback.
Can I still do archery on the range? What happens now?
For now, there are no changes to our activities on the maunga. Our beginner courses, coaching programmes, and registered events will still run. Members may still shoot at the outdoor range anytime during our current lease/license hours.