A Dunedin man has won an ongoing legal battle to have his home classed as a boat, rather than a house.
Doi has been building the structure for more than 10 years and has finally reached an agreement with the Dunedin City Council.
Tucked away in the Otago coastal township of Aramoana, Doi's home has all the modern comforts including air conditioning.
But this home has a difference - it's not a house, it's an ark and, as arks do, it has a history.
For 13 years, Doi has been battling with Dunedin City Council about what his home is - until now.
"They've now accepted that I was correct all along saying it was a boat and they've backed off from unnecessary process," Doi said.
The council initially believed the structure was a house, meaning it would have to follow building regulations.
Then the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment got involved.
"They found the council's paperwork to be improper and their process to not be correct, so they came down and had a hearing in Dunedin and then a site inspection here," Doi said.
And after some back and forth with the council over windows, to Doi's relief his home 'Tohora' was confirmed to be a boat.
"Oh I'm delighted," he said.
Doi who's a self-taught builder sees his home as a blueprint for the future.
"We've got a housing crisis in New Zealand and having small easily created and relocatable homes is a really good idea," he said.
And he's confident his boat will float.
"The reason for this land is because I can launch from here," Doi said.
But there's no date yet for that first voyage.
