Auckland activist Penny Bright says she has 'incurable and inoperable' cancer

Auckland protester Penny Bright says she has been diagnosed with stage three ovarian cancer.

Bright, a long-time activist, said she received her diagnosis on Wednesday.

The cancer was "apparently incurable and inoperable", she said in a statement.

"The fighter in me says, we shall see about that."

Bright was admitted to hospital and underwent a biopsy in April after suffering from abdominal pains.

PHIL WALTER/GETTY

Penny Bright says she was diagnosed with stage three cancer on Wednesday.

She has been locked in a years-long battle with Auckland Council over the payment of rates on her Kingsland home.

She has refused to pay the rates in protest at various transgressions she alleges against the council – all of which have been rejected by the council and courts. 

The council recently moved to force the sale of the house to recoup the $34,000 it says she owes.

In late April, the High Court in Auckland granted Bright an interim injunction temporarily halting the sale.

On Thursday, she was offered the opportunity to file a rates postponement application, which she declined.

That application would have stopped the forced sale of her home.

Bright will reappear in the High Court on May 14, for the hearing of a further injunction.

She said if that was approved, she would seek a judicial review of the processes that led to the council action against her.

Property records show Bright has owned her three-bedroom home since 1988.

It has a capital value of $1.04 million.