Man jailed in 2023 for tax dodge begins construction on controversial Akl boatshed plan

Auckland’s deputy mayor wants MPs to consider a law change after three new boatsheds were approved for Ōrākei’s waterfront. 

Desley Simpson has hit out this week after construction began on the Ngāpipi Rd project, next to a row of 17 heritage-protected boatsheds that jut out over the bay. 

They were approved without the public having a say and despite opposition from the Ōrākei Local Board. 

The boatsheds are being developed by Auckland businessman David Gower, who was convicted in 2023 of aiding and abetting tax offending after his company failed to pass millions of dollars in employee deductions on to Inland Revenue. 

Construction on the new boatsheds has begun at Ōrākei. 

Gower, who was jailed for two years and three months, could not be reached this week. 

But he previously told the Herald he had done everything Auckland Council asked of him to secure consent for the boatsheds and planned to use them to store boats, not sell them. 

Simpson said applications to occupy the coastal marine area should be publicly notified and suggested the issue should be raised with MPs, as any change would require Parliament’s support. 

“I certainly don’t support people opportunistically occupying the coastal marine area like this,” she said in a Facebook post. 

A mock-up shows the three proposed new Ngāpipi Rd boatsheds, pictured in inverse colours alongside the existing sheds. Photo / Auckland Council 

In April 2024, duty commissioner Cherie Lane approved Gower’s application, saying it passed the tests for non-complying activities and would have less than minor effects on the environment. 

“In terms of heritage character, the proposed boatsheds are considered appropriate as the new boatsheds will complement the form and fabric associated with the physical attributes and values of the place,” Lane said. 

“In terms of potential impacts to the landscape, natural character and visual effects, the proposed boatsheds are consistent with the grouping of 17 similar boatsheds at the site in terms of scale, proportion and materiality.” 

New boatsheds under construction at Ōrākei are owned by Auckland businessman David Gower, who was jailed in 2023. 

Simpson said elected representatives could not direct or overturn the decision. 

The sheds were designed to match the existing 17 heritage boatsheds, although the new structures would not receive heritage status. 

They were modelled on the original 1930s design for the largest sheds in the row. 

Gower will own the structures and holds a coastal permit to occupy the area for 35 years. 

The boatsheds can only be used for recreational boating, storage and related maritime activities. 

Auckland Council says three new sheds are being developed at the northern end of the boatshed group. 

Simpson said she’s received numerous emails from residents questioning how boatsheds could be allowed in the water alongside a shared path. 

She said her post was intended as a factual explanation rather than criticism of Gower. 

“You can’t vilify people for following the law,” Simpson said. 

She described the Resource Management Act as an old law written by central government, rather than the council. 

Its overhaul provided an opportunity to examine how similar applications should be handled in future, she said, including whether affected communities should have a stronger say. 

In May 2024, council central resource consent manager Angie Mason said anyone could apply for resource consent to build a boatshed in the coastal marine area. 

The existing heritage boatsheds line the waterfront beside Ngāpipi Rd in Ōrākei. Photo / Barfoot & Thompson 

The costs include consent fees and charges, a $1116 fee for monitoring works after construction, and $185 for subsequent council monitoring visits. 

Boatshed owners do not pay rates, Mason said. 

Recent sales hit dizzying prices 

The existing Ngāpipi Rd boatsheds have become valuable pieces of Auckland’s waterfront. 

One sold for a record $2.05 million in 2023. 

It previously served as the office setting for the television series David Lomas Investigates. 

Another sold for about $1.85m last year after 18 months on the market. 

The 135sq m shed had undergone a $300,000 makeover, including chandeliers, marble tiles, a games room and a yoga room. 

More recently, Shed 8 was put on the open market for the first time since it was built in the 1940s and is due to go to auction on October 8. 

Despite the prices they command, the sheds cannot be used as homes, with owners instead holding coastal permits allowing them to occupy the coastal marine area. 

In 2025, rich-lister Malcolm Dick applied to demolish and rebuild one of the historic sheds after it repeatedly flooded. 

Dick bought it for about $800,000 in 2023 and estimated the rebuild could cost about $1m. 

Rachel Maher is the education correspondent for the New Zealand Herald. She also covers other topics such as Auckland issues, crime and local government. She started at the Herald as a breaking news journalist in 2022, before joining the Auckland team this year.