Community and recreation leases

Is my group eligible? | What does it cost? | What is a commercial activity? | How does my group apply?

We recognise the vital role that community and recreational groups play in developing a sense of belonging and engagement in the city. One way we can support these groups is through the provision of subsidised leased space for community activities. Read the information below to find out about our leases and to see if your community group is eligible to lease space.

The Community and recreation lease policy guides the allocation of subsidised leases.

Is my group eligible?

In order to be eligible for a lease, your group must be an incorporated society or a charitable trust that requires space for the provision of valuable community activities, projects and/or programmes in Auckland city. Please contact us to speak to one of our lease officers, or email us at communityleases@aucklandcity.govt.nz.

What does it cost?

There are two types of leases issued under the Community and recreation lease policy:

fully subsidised leases of $500 per annum rental for community and recreation groups leasing land and/or buildings for community activities. These leases have a further subsidy of $250 where groups are made up of predominantly young people
hybrid leases for community and recreation groups leasing land and/or buildings for both community and commercial activities. The group will be charged a rate of $500 per annum rental and an additional charge of five percent of revenue generated from their commercial activity(s) over and above $100,000. The total rental paid will be capped at the market rental for the facility.

Leases to groups for commercial activities are subject to commercial terms and conditions, including the payment of commercial rentals.

There are other costs and conditions associated with leasing a facility and/or space from Auckland City Council:

your group is responsible for all response maintenance (i.e. broken windows, light fittings, gutter cleaning, plumbing etc)
your group will pay power, phone and water bills
your group is expected to insure its contents and have public liability insurance
there is an expectation that you will "share" your premises with other community groups where appropriate
your group will be expected to have strategies in place to provide growth in membership and to provide sustainability over the next 5 to 10 years. This means that you have plans to sustain the same level of activity or service or you are planning for the growth and addition of your services.

A fuller list of the terms and conditions associated with leasing a facility and/or space is available here:

What you need to know (91kb PDF)

What is a commercial activity?

Commercial activities are characterised as user pays services that compete with commercial operators and/or other non-subsidised groups. All commercial activities from community and recreation leases will need to be approved by council.

Council will meet with you and discuss the activities that will be undertaken on the site. Community activities such as sports and community services do not attract additional charges, while activities such as bar and retail operations will be charged.

How does my group apply?

You can register your group's interest in obtaining a lease at any time. To do so please contact us and ask to speak with a community and recreation lease coordinator. Alternatively, when a lease space becomes available council will call for applications via public notification.

To view PDFs download Acrobat Reader from the Adobe website. Further help on how to view PDFs.

Published July 2009