Glenn Hannah bought the Kaikohe building in April at a mortgagee sale, but Nga Uri o Tupoto Maori occupiers claim that native title to the land overrides any other title.
Judge Keith de Ridder ordered that they be evicted on Friday, but an appeal has since been lodged and Justice Graham Lang ruled in the High Court that police could not evict the occupiers until the appeal has been heard.
Mr Hannah said the occupiers' leader Gina Craig was "really giving me a hard time" and said removing them would cost a lot of money.
"They're just going to blow out my legal costs," he told The New Zealand Herald. "I just hope they don't damage the building."
Senior Sergeant Justin Rogers of Kaikohe police said the occupiers could not be evicted until the court process was completed.
When the building was put on the market it was already occupied and had trespass notices on it from the occupants.
Mr Hannah offered $80,000 and was surprised when it was accepted -- considering its GV was five times more.
He said he wanted to lease the building out or get a business set up inside.
