Old BNZ booming with biz

MOVED IN: Kevin Harkness (left), Tahwiri Morehu, Judy White, James White and Hannah Jew have moved into the newly-refurbished building. PHOTO/BEN FRASER

A Rotorua office building that has sat empty for three years has had a makeover and is now attracting business.

The building on the corner of Fenton and Hinemoa streets, which is owned by the Whangamoa Trust, is the new home of Aon Insurance, which held its official opening last night.

Whangamoa Trust secretary Martin Kinder said the trust had owned the building since 2008 and it had been empty since 2012 when BNZ moved out. "It was empty for some time and the trustees decided that the best way to get it rented was to redevelop it. Aon has moved in and there is room for one more [tenant].

"I think the redevelopment of the building has been really good, it shows the trust has confidence in the local community.

"The building has a high profile with high traffic and foot traffic."

He said the building started attracting interest as soon as it was refurbished.

"The response was immediate.

"A significant amount of money was spent. When a commercial lease ends, the buildings are returned to an empty space, but that's pretty unattractive.

"It now has a new ceiling, air conditioning, toilet fittings and kitchen, alarms, repainting and exterior - it was a complete makeover from top to bottom."

Aon Insurance Rotorua district manager Judy White said the refurbishment was "state-of-the-art".

"We used to be at 1202 Pukaki St at the little cottage and we have now moved into the building. We are the first tenants in the building.

" We needed a bigger space and were committed to staying in Rotorua," she said.