Leaving the Chateau Tongariro to rot would be a national indictment - Editorial

EDITORIAL

Whether you stayed at the Chateau Tongariro, or merely admired it driving past, its likely demise will tug on Kiwis’ heartstrings.

If you were privileged to set foot inside the swanky hotel’s interior it was a sight to behold, boasting a lavish reception area, high ceilings and ornate chandeliers.

At its peak popularity, you could guarantee that nearly all the rooms were fully booked – and there was always a long line of vehicles parked outside for a look at the opulent surrounds and impeccably kept grounds.

With its unique neo-Georgian design, and with the magnificent sight of Mount Ruapehu in the background, the Chateau was an iconic tribute to well-heeled luxury.

Completed in 1929, the Chateau is more than just a Category 1 listing by Heritage New Zealand. It had become part of this country.

So when photos emerged in 2023 of its steadily rotting interior and battered external appearance, many feared the writing was on the wall for its future.

After sitting empty since March last year due to being seismically unsound, the Department of Conservation (DoC) said this week it scrapped a plan to seek expressions of interest from parties interested in commercially operating the alpine hotel.

DoC wanted to see what investor interest there was in the Chateau, both domestically and abroad. It appears there was little. The future now looks desperately bleak, with DoC preparing advice on the long-term options for Cabinet to consider.

It is estimated the main building could cost as much as $100 million to repair, strengthen and return it to a desirable resort hotel, especially if it keeps its heritage designation.

That cost is great and Minister of Conservation Tama Potaka has confirmed one option to avoid paying it would be to decommission the Chateau.

A DoC briefing for Potaka showed this would also stop the ongoing $2.2m annual cost to the Crown for maintenance. The document, however, warned that a ghostly Chateau would “deteriorate rapidly”, with fire sprinklers becoming non-compliant and the insurance invalid.

It also forecast that the public, iwi and stakeholders, including Heritage NZ, would hold DoC, “to account for damage caused”.

Decommissioning it would also be a another dagger to the struggling Ruapehu communities, which have been harmed by a slow tourist recovery after Covid-19, poor snowfall and the closure of two timber mills leaving several hundred locals looking for work.

As Ruapehu District Mayor Weston Kirton said earlier this year, the Chateau is more than a landmark, it embodies cultural significance and economic vitality that is crucial to the region.

The idea of seeing this once grand lady boarded up and left to rot is an indictment and symbolic of how we’ve let much of the country’s infrastructure decay.