Roberts said he had owned the block of shops for about 11 years "and this is my income".
"What upsets me most is the tenants are all good families and this is their livelihood."
The Curry Planet and Ruk Thai takeaway shop had been tenants for several years and the Bladed N Faded Barber Shop and Tattoo Studio next door, which was gutted by the blaze, had been due to open soon, Roberts said.
"We are going to have rebuild which is going to take some time. There has been well over a million dollars worth of damage," Roberts said.
The shocked owners of the Ruk Thai takeaways were still reeling from the fire.
One of the owners, who did not want to be named, said: "It's hard to put into words how we feel. It's so unfair. We have been running this business for more than seven years and work very long hours and have no income insurance."
Other business owners could not be reached for comment before publication.
The building also contained the Tauranga Southern Baptist Church and entry is barred by police tape at the back.
A person who spoke anonymously said there was an earlier fire at the barbershop about six weeks ago but fortunately the fire was put out quickly.
The landlord confirmed that was the case.