Auckland Council is preparing to forcibly sell a Freemans Bay café and a Grey Lynn home after their owner, Dilip Kumar Rupa, accumulated nearly $900,000 in unpaid rates—the largest outstanding bill in the city’s history, The New Zealand Herald has reported.
Rupa, who has long been in a standoff with city officials, has refused to pay rates on the two family-owned properties for several years. The council initially sought action when the combined unpaid rates totalled $350,000 in 2021. That figure has now soared to $876,623.65, with $662,179.06 owed on the café on Wellington Street and $214,444.59 on the Grey Lynn home.
Legal proceedings began in February 2020 when Auckland Council filed a case in the District Court over non-payment of rates. The case was later transferred to the High Court, which issued a judgment and charging orders, compelling Rupa to settle the debt. However, Rupa continued to object, forcing the council to file a rating sale application in March 2022. Delays occurred due to procedural issues, but the council is now preparing to re-submit its application.
If successful, this will be only the second time Auckland Council has forcibly sold a private home to recoup unpaid rates.
Rupa also gained notoriety during the Covid-19 pandemic, becoming the first person prosecuted for failing to display QR codes. He was convicted and fined $1500 in 2022 after a trial held in his absence. Judge Stephen Bonnar KC ruled that Rupa had deliberately refused to display the codes, believing the legislation to be illegitimate.
Auckland Council’s chief financial officer, Ross Tucker, declined to comment on the specifics of the case, citing privacy concerns, but urged ratepayers struggling with payments to seek assistance early. He stressed that taking court action was a last resort.
The council has previously taken similar actions. Last month, it was set to auction a private home in Ōtara over a $317,000 unpaid rates debt. The sale was abandoned when relatives of the deceased owner, Joseph William Leef, came forward to resolve the issue. Additionally, activist Penny Bright narrowly avoided the forced sale of her Kingsland home in 2017 after reaching a deal with the council following years of rate refusals.
Rupa did not respond to requests for comment