Agreement to sell Tūroa side of Mt Ruapehu signed

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By Azaria Howell

Wellington Reporter, Newstalk ZB·NZ Herald·

3 Feb, 2024 09:25 PM3 mins to read

Investigators on the scene of a blaze at a South Auckland car wreckers. Te Pati Māori arrive at Waitangi treaty grounds. PM Chris Luxon's ties to tobacco companies under the microscope.

A conditional agreement to sell the Tūroa side of Mt Ruapehu has been signed, with plans for Company Pure Tūroa to acquire assets from Ruapehu Alpine Lifts.

In an update on its website, Pure Tūroa says it is “still working hard and making good progress” regarding the purchase of the skifields.

It was named as a preferred bidder for Mount Ruapehu under the previous government, alongside Whakapapa Holdings, which is now nowhere to be seen amongst the bidding process.

Ngāti Tūwharetoa took its offer off the table in September last year. At the time, Uenuku Iwi Chair Aiden Gilbert told NZME Māori have not had enough say. “We’ve had all this debacle with MBIE, in terms of what they believe is good and meaningful consultation. I’m sure we’ve pulled them back on those issues and said [it’s] not good enough,” Gilbert said.

Ruapehu Alpine Lifts was sent into administration in October 2022. Photo / File

A month before cancelling its bidding plans, then-Regional Development Minister Kiri Allan wrote an apology letter to iwi with other ministers, saying sorry for ‘flawed’ consultation.

“We acknowledge that the process has not met the standard of rigour that you should expect from the Crown as it has not allowed appropriate time and quality information - two fundamental elements of good engagement,” the letter, revealed by NZME, said.

Ruapehu Alpine Lifts was sent into administration in October 2022, and liquidation in June last year, after Covid-related disruptions and poor ski seasons.

NZME recently revealed the asset value of Ruapehu Alpine Lifts is much lower than its original estimate, with millions owned to numerous creditors, as seen in RAL’s receivers report.

The skifields were partially propped up last year due to numerous spending packages from Cabinet, allowing the ski season to tick over while bids were on the table, and conversations were taking place.

The Department of Conservation is seeking submissions on Pure Tūroa’s application to run that side of Mt Ruapehu. The company is “very hopeful of a favourable outcome,” and expects a final decision to be made in late March.

If it goes through, Kānoa, the Regional Economic Development & Investment Unit at MBIE, will own a 25 per cent stake in the company.

Pure Tūroa is keeping a positive outlook on the future of the skifields with the conditional agreement signed off. In an update, the company said it can now get a lot more work done “ensuring Tūroa is the best it can be for winter 2024”.

Pure Tūroa titled its update “a step forward”.

No plans are yet in place for the Whakapapa side of the mountain, though Ruapehu District Mayor Weston Kirton recently told NZME he expects people will “see the new season with two separate entities with different structures”.

Azaria Howell is a Wellington-based multimedia reporter with an eye across the region. She joined NZME in 2022 and has a keen interest in city council decisions, social housing and transport.