New Zealand’s Supreme Court will rule on whether Auckland’s Sanctuary Gardens Mahi Whenua survives redevelopment for 500 apartments.

New Zealand’s Supreme Court will decide the fate of Sanctuary Gardens Mahi Whenua, a community garden in Auckland’s Mt Albert, after a legal dispute over its land, which is slated for housing development. The garden, established in 2011, faces potential displacement amid plans to build at least 4,000 homes on the former Unitec campus, with 500 apartments planned on its site. A 2025 court ruling protected the garden with a caveat, but the Crown’s appeal has brought the case to the Supreme Court. Meanwhile, Berlin passed a law to safeguard its 56,000 allotment gardens, restricting redevelopment to essential public uses and requiring parliamentary approval and replacement plots for displaced gardeners.