The Transport Agency Waka Kotahi paid just over $12m for four houses in Northcote. In early 2020, as the country was entering level 4 lockdown for the first time, Waka Kotahi began approaching residents in Northcote about potentially buying their homes. Phil Moore refused to sell, saying Waka Kotahi came in with a lowball offer well below a valuation from four years earlier. He said the option Waka Kotahi had over his home has kept him in no man's land for two years. Waka Kotahi spent more than $51m on the project, $12.2m of which was on buying property.

Source: New Zealand Herald April 26, 2022 03:10 UTC