Auckland Council has told a community church it must pay a land lease increase of more than 1000% or leave the premises.
The Grace Baptist Church in Onehunga has a land lease with Auckland Council for $3500 per year, but it is about to jump to more than $50,000 annually.
The church cannot afford the dramatic price hike and senior pastor Dalton Walker said the community would suffer if the church was forced out.
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"Our biggest fear was that it would go up one hundred percent," he said.
"Instead it went 1230%."
Walker said the council had not justified the huge increase.
"They just say that it is the formula, if you can't pay it someone else will. Really there is no heart in it, it's just business."
Grace Church runs a number of community programmes including food banks and supporting dozens of offenders on community service.
"We work with the Department of Corrections because we have a heart for people who have made a mistake," said associate pastor Ben Walker.
The church has been battling the increase for three years, and many in the community believe Auckland Council is making a mistake.
"The people of Auckland would be outraged to hear of the extreme greed to the new monthly lease," said Mangere Budgeting Service chief executive Darryl Evans.
"They are doing the work on behalf of the community and we as taxpayers should be there to support them, not crush them."
The church building is not the only one impacted by lease increases. The house next door is up for sale because the owner cannot afford to meet the increased payments.
"It's finally come to a point where we are going to start being billed it and we cant pay and what do we do? What do the people of the community do?" asked Dalton Walker.
The council said in a statement the initial lease for the church building was negotiated 21 years ago and the new, higher rate reflects the current market.