23 August 1993: Donald Trump arrived in Auckland to support the application of Auckland Casino Ltd for the Auckland casino premises licence. Photo / Tim Mackrell
23 August 1993: Donald Trump arrived in Auckland to support the application of Auckland Casino Ltd for the Auckland casino premises licence. Photo / Tim Mackrell
This story was first published in December 2015 during Donald Trump's presidential campaign.
He only jetted in for the day. But when billionaire property tycoon Donald Trump came to New Zealand in 1993, he certainly left an impression, not always for the right reasons.
On August 23 of that yearthe US developer and gaming magnate touched down in Auckland after a first class Air New Zealand flight from Hong Kong.
His day-long mission was to convince the Casino Control Authority to support his consortium bidding to build a casino on the site of Auckland Railway Station.
Shrugging off driving rain and strong winds as "not too unpleasant", he took a white stretched limousine to the Hyatt Hotel for a quick freshen up in the presidential suite.
Then Trump - described in New Zealand Herald reports at the time as "flamboyant" and a "guru from the 1980s decade of greed" - went to inspect the site for his prospective Las Vegas or Atlantic City of the South Seas.
Sporting a conservative blue pin-striped suit, Trump, his entourage and accompanying media mass, was greeted by a "putrid pong" of a local kiosk vendor cooking crayfish for his wife's lunch.
American casino owner Donald Trump at the Auckland Railway Station with Donna Hall, legal advisor to the National Maori Congress. Photo / Tim Mackrell
During the 20-minute tour, the mogul was impressed by the "beautiful" and "fabulous" site for Auckland's would-be first casino-hotel.
Trump then met Casino Control Authority members for two hours.
But while they were impressed by his slick presentation, authority chairman Jock Irvine said he would "absolutely not" be swayed by the American's PR machine.
"We cannot afford to be influenced by things like that," he said.
He then met Ngati Whatua iwi members then engaged in a Maori land claim of the site at the time.
Photo / Tim Mackrell
Afterwards, he told a press conference that the casino could become "a real diamond" in his empire, and rapped on about the talents of great Kiwi golfer, Sir Bob Charles.
"Too bad he is not a right hander," he jibed.
Asked if he could give assurances that the proposed casino would not bear his name, he replied that he could not, as it was a proven seller in the US.
New Zealand media was revelling in having a true tycoon in their midst. After a costly divorce with former Czech ski champion and model Ivana Trump, and servicing a debt of US$3 billion (NZ$ 4.5 billion), Trump was forced to part with some of his more precious personal and corporate trophies, the Herald reported.
"Gone with a stroke of the pen were his luxury 90-metre Trump Princess cruiser, his private Boeing 727 jet, the Trump Shuttle airline and a stake in New York's Grand Hyatt Hotel."
The Casino Control Authority also had some direct questions for Trump and his perilous finances.
"There is a commonly held perception that he might have been bankrupt in terms of our legislation," Mr Irvine remarked.
