New Lease To Return ‘Kiwi Camping' To Nelson
Article: Max Frethey - Local Democracy Reporter
A new lease has been signed for the Maitai Valley Camp and the company that's taking over wants to see a return of 'traditional Kiwi camping' in the city.
Nelson City Council has been managing the camp, but Kiwi Cash Limited, trading as Penny will take over on 1 June.
Penny founder Chris Wagner said the Nelson Tasman region has been on the company's radar 'for some time'.
'We're really, really looking forward to it. If there was any spot to have it in New Zealand, having one in Nelson, and especially up the Maitai [Valley], is just awesome.'
Wagner said that many travellers skip Nelson – 'vis-à-vis they come off the ferry and they go to Queenstown' – and he hopes to attract more visitors to the region.
The Maitai Valley was 'absolutely beautiful' with great activities, like the nearby mountain bike trails and golf course, but was generally 'underused', and Wagner hoped a refreshed campground will encourage more visitors and locals to explore the area.
He thought that 'traditional Kiwi camping' has been eroded around the country, and Penny hopes to offer that experience in Nelson.
'When I was a kid, we used to go out fishing, we used to light a fire, we used to be taught how to do it safely and properly… getting taught how to make a bivvy out of trees, getting taught how to hang your own hammock, and stuff like that,' Wagner said.
'Those kinds of spaces are getting lost, and that's kind of what we're really [promoting], is the idea of actually getting people to have that experience and get out of the comfort zone.'
The council has undertaken $1.8 million of campground upgrades over the last two years, such as a complete replacement of the sewer system to enable the number of visitors being lifted from 80 to 400 campers a night.
Other improvements include a new barbeque and picnic area, relocated cabins, and new taps and caravan dump stations.
Penny also had plans for other installations, like a new playground, and its use of automated systems and a light presence on the ground aims to ensure that campsites are offered at 'reasonable' prices based on hiring the site, rather than per person fees.
'We're going to try and provide facilities and activities for Nelsonians to actually go up there and enjoy it,' Wagner said.
Long-term residents at the campground aren't expected to see any 'dramatic changes', but will get upgraded Wi-Fi, fixed toilet blocks, and a new laundry machine to 'life the site up', he added.
Wagner and Mayor Nick Smith signed the five-year lease, which includes the right to a five-year renewal, last week.
Smith has welcomed the lease, saying running campgrounds are not the council's core business despite their importance to local tourism.
'By investing in upgrades and partnering with experienced operators like Penny, we're delivering real benefits for the city and our visitor infrastructure,' he said.
'Both the Brook and Maitai campgrounds have previously made losses and required significant upgrades after many years of deferred maintenance. Last year, we successfully leased the Brook campground to the Brook Waimārama Sanctuary Trust and since then camper reviews have been overwhelmingly positive. We're aiming for the same here.'
The campground's rent is set at $40,000 plus GST for the first year, with subsequent years being either the base fee or 9.75% of the camp's gross income, whichever was higher.
Kevrol Limited held the lease for the campground for 17 years. When the lease expired in 2022, they did not want to enter into a new lease as the company was moving away from the area. The council has run the campground since.
Local Democracy Reporting is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air
© Scoop Media
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NZ Herald
2 hours ago
- NZ Herald
Two more rate cuts to come: Reserve Bank to the rescue as recovery stalls
'We thought lingering concerns about near-term upside inflation risks would prevent such a large change in view from the RBNZ today. But while both upside and downside risks were mentioned in the press release, the focus is clearly very much on the latter.' ANZ is now forecasting the next two 25bp cuts to come in October and November (previously it had November and February). The move could push mortgage rates lower, said property analysts Cotality. However, the general gloomy outlook for the economy meant there was not likely to be any sudden outlook for the housing market. 'If anything, the possibility of more falls in mortgage rates than previous thought could lift activity and house prices a bit. But those rate changes may be fairly minor,' said Cotality Chief Property Economist Kelvin Davidson. 'And in the meantime, as the RBNZ has indicated, the economic and labour market outlook is still disappointing, which will tend to weigh on housing, as it's already doing.' The RBNZ painted a downbeat picture of the economy in its monetary policy statement. New Zealand's economic recovery stalled in the second quarter of this year, the RBNZ said. 'Spending by households and businesses has been constrained by global economic policy uncertainty, falling employment, higher prices for some essentials, and declining house prices.' In an unusual split decision, the monetary policy committee debated three policy options: keeping the OCR on hold at 3.25%; cutting the OCR by 25 basis points to 3%; or cutting by 50 basis points to 2.75%. Only the latter two options were put to the vote. The Committee voted on the options of either reducing the OCR by 25 basis points or reducing the OCR by 50 basis points. By a majority of four votes to two, the Committee agreed to decrease the OCR by 25 basis points to 3%. But the range of options discussed suggests a wide divergence of opinions on the committee, with at least one member still concerned about inflation risk. The release moved markets with the Kiwi dollar falling by half a US cent. On the interest rate markets, the two-year swap rate fell by 15 basis points to 2.97% while 10 year bond yields dropped by nine basis points to 4.41%. The NZX50 stock market also rallied on the decision. Liam Dann is business editor-at-large for the New Zealand Herald. He is a senior writer and columnist, and also presents and produces videos and podcasts. He joined the Herald in 2003.
NZ Herald
8 hours ago
- NZ Herald
Wool from New Zealand farms used in tennis balls at the US Open
New Zealand Wool Services trading manager Nathan Watt said it's one of the more unusual uses of New Zealand wool, beamed into living rooms in nearly every continent. He said it's unfortunate there's no branding for the country's farmers, but he joked it's nice to imagine a small Kiwi printed on each ball. 'TTI is the biggest tennis ball felt manufacturer in the world with a long history,' Watt said. 'They make 80% of the world's superior tennis ball felt.' He rattled off a list of the big brands TTI supplies, such as Wilson, Head, Penn and Slazenger. Over the next fortnight, the US Open will go through roughly 100,000 Wilson balls. To make each ball, the crossbred wool is blended with synthetic thread wrapped around a rubber core. Wool predominantly off the back of the Romneys of 32 to 36 microns is the perfect tool in the fiercest of rallies. Rosstan Mazey, chief executive of WoolWorks Ventures, said last year about 3000 tonnes of the country's wool was exported for tennis ball felt. His enthusiasm for the country's woollen fibre is just as high when he's hitting balls across the net at his local Karori United Club in the Wellington suburb. 'The New Zealand wool is very white and clean, and so when it comes to dying the felt fluorescent yellow and green, it works really well,' Mazey said. 'It doesn't come up with any colour issues through that process.' This year's $5 million (NZ$8.4m) cheque for the men's and women's singles US Open champions represents a 39% hike from last year's $3.6 million. Players on a path to Grand Slam glory are defending champion Jannik Sinner, who remains in a late fitness race, and Spanish 2022 winner Carlos Alcaraz, who will also play in the mixed doubles alongside Britain's Emma Raducanu. In the women's singles, defending champion Aryna Sabalenka has not won a Grand Slam since last year's US Open. The American tennis superstar Coco Gauff showed the spirit of a warrior as she battled to beat Sabalenka at Roland Garros in June for the French Open trophy. Poland's Iga Swiatek comes into the New York tournament after winning the most recent Grand Slam on grass at Wimbledon. Alongside the 190kph serves and grunts that reverberate across the stadium, the US Open is also known for its celebrity sightings. The main draw runs for two weeks through to September 7, with night session matches played into the early hours of the morning. And in the women's doubles, Kiwi Erin Routliffe is at the top of her game. She and Canadian partner Gaby Dabrowski won the 2023 US Open women's doubles title. In a profitable warm-up event, they won this week's Cincinnati Open doubles crown. - RNZ
Scoop
19 hours ago
- Scoop
Confirmation Of AA+ Credit Rating Welcomed
Minister of Finance Finance Minister Nicola Willis has welcomed confirmation from Fitch Ratings that the Government's careful management of the books has preserved New Zealand's strong credit rating. The international rating agency has affirmed New Zealand's AA+ rating with a stable outlook. 'At the moment New Zealand is borrowing overseas to continue providing good public services while we work to rebuild the economy and public finances,' Nicola Willis says. 'Historically, New Zealand governments have been able to borrow at reasonable rates because of their reputation for being responsible managers of public money, but that is not something that should be taken for granted. 'In the nicest possible language, Fitch's commentary contains a warning for New Zealand. 'Fitch says New Zealand's rating is underpinned by the Government's strong commitment to fiscal consolidation and an expectation that debt as a percentage of GDP will move to a downward path. 'However, Fitch warns that 'evidence of a weakening in the culture of fiscal commitment to fiscal responsibility would affect creditworthiness'. 'That is Fitch telling us that borrowing a lot more, as Opposition parties are proposing, would lead to a credit downgrade. That would increase the cost of government debt and also have a flow-on effect to the cost of household and business borrowing, as New Zealand would be seen as a more risky country to lend to. 'That is why this Government is committed to returning the books to surplus while continuing to invest in the public services New Zealanders need and shifting the economy onto a stronger growth path. 'Doing so requires some difficult choices, but the alternative is increasing costs for Kiwi households and businesses.'
