1953: Herald Island Falls to The State

September 20, 2020

By AHNZ

Until 20 September 1953 there was no Local Government on Herald Island. With c.100 permanent residents, none paid property rates. No building permits required.

This was Auckland Harbour but I’ve read similar things about islands in the Marlborough Sounds. Back in the day it seems the free people could build their own homes on unowned land or land owned by a consenting farmer. In the C21st you’d have to go Seasteading to get that kind of freedom.

The Island had its own school and two shops including a post office. Infrastructure wasn’t too flash but according to Timespanner’s findings there was “a lot of community awareness.”

Sounds pretty good to me! No doubt there is some delicious debate from 1953 as the Islanders resisted being assimilated into the State’s Doomsday Book. Points you will not read about in Statist History but which are the most exciting parts of an Anarchist History of New Zealand.

“Local government has never reached Herald Island and no one is responsible for the upkeep of roads. The island has only one car- a jeep- but the driver needs no licence.”- Unknown (Probalby Auckland Weekly News)

“With no building permits required, development was “haphazard”, with no water reticulation, no electricity, and no drainage. They did have however two stores, a post office and a school, and a lot of community awareness. ” – Auckland Star, Timespanner (2012)

I visit Herald Island every few months to check in with how things are going thanks to the fairly decent playground down there for our young children. Until 1958 the only way on or off was via boat but after that date they were ‘given’ a land bridge.

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Image ref. Mike Hassett, publication unknown; Facebook (2019)

Ref. The many names of Herald Island; Timespanner (2012)

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