Start something positive

Hi everyone, I joined in the hopes of finding like minded people to join me in purchasing a large piece of land 60+ acres in akl and hopefully developing it into a semi self sustaining neighbourhood I'm, looking for 10 people. The share would be $150k for 28km² plus a house I estimate $400k all up(pretty good deal) . Obviously legal agreements will be written up to keep everyone happy. Please show your interest so I can get the ball rolling.

Sounds like a plan. Wish you luck with it. Can see all sorts of potential for legal bullshit to obstruct your passage though.

I personally am not interested as I have my land.
When you say in auckland, where do you mean?
I dont think people come on board some hypothetical train and invest a lot of money with little information.
What sort of land would you be looking at, how much do know about soil types which would be crucial in a self sustaining community etc.
What kind of legal agreements were you having so as to 'keep everyone happy'
If I was going to invest some money in a community project, I would want some fairly basic ideas of what it was about
Am not meaning to dampen your enthusiasm, just if you want a response from people thats positive, then they need something a bit more substantive

Likeminded how? What are your beliefs and basic principles?
Are you someone who means to be fully inclusive of anyone of any ilk, or are you (for instance) at the other end of that spectrum and meaning to create an exclusive situation for some particular sector of society? You have provided no real information other than a vague financial proposition. Actually vague financial propositions promising much arrive in my email box most weeks ... []

Welcome.
I think that you need to start with what you are permitted to do on various zonings of the Regional Councils within an area that is convenient to you.
With our Council, we are permitted one residential dwelling only on our 25 hectares, and then it must be outside the quarry zone.
In a few parts of Tasman, land has been set aside for Rural Residential. In those areas, which do not have soil suitable for sustainable living on a small scale, land developers develop life style blocks. That way, everyone in the community has their own land and the responsibilities that go with that. Within the bounds of the local and governmental law they can then do what they like to their own bit. Thuss people that want to live in the country but have lots of holidays can lease their land to others that do not like leaving home.
Also, many, many, many people find out within a couple of years that living in the country is not a "style" but a "sentence". Thus you have to have a method to allow those that cannot emotionally handle country living to leave.

Well I'm sure there are like minded people out there.
Look at this site to see what is involved in setting up an intentional community
www.earthsong.org.nz/design/history.html

I know a legal agreement will be need and also my belief is that you can believe in what you want. The main objective is to try and create a healthier lifestyle for those involved by controlling how your food is grown. Also having access to at least twice the amount of land for half the price. The property currently has a forest some Bush, paddocks and an Orchard so assume the soil is OK for growing food. I thought finding people interested would be a great first step. Am aware that it will have hurdles and people may want out so there will be options. Better to write up an agreement as a group?

I would want to know that the soil is good for growing, not based on assumption.
Forest and bush tend to be poor soils and acidic but if growing food was going to be a large part of the project, I would want to know what kind of soil is there, the depth of soil, the presence or not of a hard pan and the chemical history of the property etc

You may find that the bush covered land is totally worthless for your purpose as you might not be legally allowed to clear it.

Would this land be out towards Woodhill? Does it currently have a house?

Yes Bush would be a big job to clear however it's not all Bush. If it's a large portion then it would be a deal breaker.

Would be happy to get a soil test and history if enough interest was shown

igor;511377 wrote: You may find that the bush covered land is totally worthless for your purpose as you might not be legally allowed to clear it.

This might well be the case and different zones have different rules.

I have a Bush Block and the covenants in place only allow us to clear twice as much land as the floor area of the dwelling and ancillary building. After clearing a drive (access) and the building site.

This is more than enough for us to have a few raised beds and a tunnel house with a small lawn. There are also areas that already have reasonably clear space and the building site is not the exact footprint of the house... which added together can extend the clear area you end up with.

'Clearing' the bush was never an option, as it was this bush that attracted us to the land in the first place. I assume many people like a bit of bush. This property sounds like it has something for everyone.

If the land cleared is to the north of the building and the site chosen to clear is between largest existing trees, then adequate sunlight for the house and the garden can be achieved while privacy and serenity is retained.

I have not done soil tests on our plot yet, but will when we visit later in the year. I am running on the assumption that the PH is out of whack and the soil is pretty much useless. This does not mean that growing food is not an option, it is in fact the plan.

Clearing bush means one has ample organic matter and a stump grinder/mulcher or similar can make for a good base to work with for developing good organic soil. It will take time, energy and money to develop soil but if the location and view is perfect, then it is worth it in the long run. You can also end up with nice timber to work with but that again takes paperwork...

I like the idea of a 'commune', but it would come against some pretty restrictive regulations.

Even our property has unearthed some restrictions I did not really account for and we are going solo with one dwelling.

Who ever said it was going to be easy?

What I can suggest is to take everything that everyone says could be a problem and find out directly with the local authorities what is actually the case.

A LIM report is a good place to start and anyone can obtain a LIM report on anyone's property.

good luck and go for it, just don't jump into it without knowing what you are in for...

If I were looking to go communal I would expect to be presented with soil tests etc as what is under the soil can be as important as the soil itself. A very thorough understanding of what is permitted from a planning point of view would be crucial and so far you have not said anything about the set of values you would be adhering to.
The lack of information would not inspire me with much confidence to take the next step were I considering such

Stevus;511409 wrote: Would be happy to get a soil test and history if enough interest was shown

I think you are putting the cart before the horse. You need to gather up your interested parties and set out your aims and objectives before looking for land.
And why Auckland? You can get better soils and more bang for your buck in other parts of the country,
Personally, if I had a spare $400k I would prefer to buy my own land, then I wouldn't have to farm by committee.