Waipā ratepayers shelled out nearly $3 million on a failed Bunnings transformation project in Te Awamutu.
By Jordan Smith of Local Democracy Reporting
After paying $2.05 million to acquire the lease to the former Bunnings Warehouse site in 2021, Waipa District Council spent an additional $721,528 as of July 21, according to finance and commercial director Matt Walker.
“This includes costs and expenses relating to ground rent, insurance, outgoings, repairs/maintenance and fees associated with sub-leasing the property,” Walker said.
A portion of the costs were offset, with $538,670 gained from rental income in the same period.
The saga has garnered strong commentary from ratepayers and prominent figures alike after plans to transform the site into Te Ara Wai district museum's new home were canned.
The issue was reignited when Mayor Mike Pettit defended council’s decision to simply go for the highest bidder.
"If it's something commercial that really is not the best fit for the CBD [and] there's something that is a much better fit for the community of Te Awamutu... then I'd be hoping councillors would look at the social benefit,“ he said.
Taxpayer Union’s Tory Relf told Waikato Times that council should “stick to the basics” and do its job.
“Council’s job is to secure the best deal for ratepayers, not mark competing bids against a subjective wish-list.
"These subjective criteria risk ratepayers taking a financial hit so councillors can pursue priorities that have nothing to do with selling the property.”
Te Awamutu locals have also chimed in about the site, with some wanting a high-performance sports centre to support “gun young athletes” and others yearning for Bunnings to return.
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Local Jenny Smith questioned whether ratepayers would get anything out of the sale, since they contributed to purchasing the site.
“Are we going to get some of that back? Or will it just go back into council's pot of money, and then what?"
The land is owned by Parish of St John Te Awamutu Trust, with the open tender process now underway.
– LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air
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