PremiumBen LeahyReporter·NZ Herald·23 Jun, 2026 05:00 PM10 mins to readA failed housing project at coastal Weiti Bay, south of Whangaparāoa, became the background for an epic legal showdown. Photo / Jason DordayA Taiwanese family bought one of Auckland’s biggest slices of coastal land for $4 million. Now it goes on sale on June 30 to pay debts that have ballooned past $67m.The family alleged a developer building 1200 homes on their land conspired to rip them off; however, a High Court judge says their own actions caused their losses.Philanthropist Sir Mark Dunajtschik lent the project money that had been earmarked to help build the Wellington Children’s Hospital Te Wao Nui.A Taiwanese family who bought a vast slice of coastal Auckland for $4 million in 1991 are about to lose the last of it – to pay a $67m-plus court debt after a 1200-home development collapsed and they lost a “high-stakes” game of “chicken”.
The 740ha coastal site – beside
