Thousands gather at Tūrangawaewae Marae, pharmacies face shortages and Raygun breaks silence.
One of New Zealand’s biggest conference centres and a historic Auckland hotel potentially valued at $50 million are up for sale. But some residents fear the community-owned assets are being sold as a backlash against drinking and gambling.
Buyers are today putting in their final offers to snap up one of New Zealand’s biggest conference centres that sits on sprawling Auckland waterfront land - but some locals are doing their best to stop the sale.
With its 148 hotel rooms and 400-seat theatre overlooking a saltwater lagoon and set within 6ha of Mt Wellington park land, the Waipuna Hotel & Conference Centre is valued at $44 million by Auckland Council.
It’s been put on sale together with the Panmure Historic Hotel - a famous hotel in Panmure’s town centre with a $7.1m CV - by community group the Mount Wellington Licensing Trust.
The Waipuna Hotel & Conference Centre in East Auckland is one of the country's biggest conference centres and has an Auckland Council valuation of $44m.
But a band of locals have threatened legal action, arguing it’s their belief the community-owned hotels’ sale could be a “social engineering” backlash against drinking and gambling and hasn’t been done transparently.
Panmure resident Brian McDonald claims up to 400 petition signatures have been collected against the sale.
This week, he emailed the trust saying if it didn’t halt the sale, his supporters would immediately “progress this case to the court”.
“It’s not what the community is saying that we don’t want liquor sold anymore, we don’t want gambling in the area,” he told the Herald.
The Panmure Historic Hotel on Queens Rd in Panmure has a $7.1m Auckland Council valuation. Photo / Supplied
Mount Wellington Licensing Trust president Troy Elliott denies the allegations, calling suggestions the sale is morally motivated “mischievous”.
Instead, the trust has sought “extensive legal advice” and “strongly” believes the sales are the best thing for the community, he said.
Established in the 1950s, the trust was set up to help ensure alcohol could be served responsibly in the suburbs of Mount Wellington, Panmure, Sylvia Park and Otahuhu, while also returning surplus profits to the community.
But recently, the two hotels have not been able to generate large returns to give back to the community.
“In the last 20 years, we’ve actually only been able to return about $2m in total to the community,” Elliott said.
And, of that, 90 per cent has been from “gaming proceeds” from the Panmure hotel, trading as the Corner Bar, the trust said.
Adding to the trust’s financial troubles is the discovery parts of both hotels are not up to earthquake strength standards.
It is estimated it could cost $8m to upgrade the Waipuna conference centre alone, the trust said.
Yet the trust doesn’t have that kind of money, Elliott said.
If it instead sells the hotels, the sale proceeds could be invested into a managed fund, paying out regular returns.
“Over 20 years, we’re anticipating to be able to return $2m per year to the community,” Elliott said, although firm financial plans to achieve this have not yet been drawn up.
A managed fund would also reduce risk by not leaving the trust reliant on the “risky” accommodation and hospitality sectors, Elliot said.
But Allyson Wood - another resident against the sale - said the trust is moving too fast.
Most residents hadn’t known beforehand the trust was about to put the hotels on sale and have not been given crucial financial information needed to understand whether it’s a good thing to do, she said.
And while the Historic Panmure Hotel is protected, both the land around it and the entire Waipuna conference centre site are ripe opportunities for redevelopment into new housing and shops.
Wood and McDonald said they’re worried local jobs could be lost.
The Panmure hotel has been a central part of the community for decades, while the conference centre has an international reputation, McDonald said.
The TripAdvisor website has given the conference centre a 2024 Traveller’s Choice accolade for its positive guest reviews.
“Get a mandate at the next election, put it on the table then and let the people vote. I think that’s basic democracy,” McDonald said, saying the public living in the trust’s district should decide at the next trust elections that coincide with local government board elections.
But Elliott said his board is elected to make tough decisions and the trust’s financial difficulties cannot be put off indefinitely.
And with the “significant interest” shown by buyers so far, he’s confident the sales will benefit the community, he said.
