22/05/2026
We’d like to share an update on the next steps for Woodhill Sands so you can understand where things are at.
A lot of visible work has recently been carried out on site, and the progress behind the scenes is also extremely encouraging. We thank all our partners and supporters for their ongoing contributions to the site and our activities.
Woodhill Sands Trust and the council also continue to work together on a sustainable plan for our future.
Since the time the land was purchased, the council has acted as a loan guarantor and contributed significant grant support. In late 2025 – following a sequence of consenting, legal, operational factors and fluctuating patronage – meeting loan repayments and the cost of operations became much more challenging, in spite of the council providing additional funding support. Following a recent review of the Trust’s position by the current trustees and despite our best efforts, the financial pressures we have faced remain unmanageable.
On 27 February 2026, the council in their role as guarantor needed to step in and take over the outstanding loan.
In light of recent events, the council reached a decision last week (5 May). This reflects Woodhill Sands’ role as a regionally significant facility in Auckland’s equestrian network but also acknowledges the Trust has been in an unsustainable financial position for some time. The council needs to take appropriate steps that manage the impact to ratepayers of taking on the loan.
A key element of the council’s decision is to carry out a six-month open expression of interest (EOI) process to identify financially sustainable options for the land. While not guaranteed, we hope this process will flush out a go-forward model for us to operate profitably and ideally keep equestrian services as a priority. The council and the local board both support this approach, and we intend to fully participate in this process.
We are also continuing to work on re-opening for regular events as soon as possible, which the council remains supportive of.
This is a positive step for the future of Woodhill Sands. It allows us to move forward in a sustainable manner without the financial strain of the loan and capital repayments.
We will be holding an online update for those of you who have questions about this on Monday 25th May at 7pm on Teams. An event has been set up for those of you who want to attend.
Thank you all for your continued support. All of us here on the various volunteer teams remain committed to having horses return to Woodhill Sands and we are hopeful that we are almost there.
