A casino-hotel: it’s not the first time

Wellington.Scoop
It’s not the first time. Sir Ngatata Love’s extraordinary effort to sell the railway station (reported in the DomPost this morning) is not the first attempt to create a casino-hotel in Wellington. Fifteen years ago, a similar idea had enthusiastic support from city councillors, till public anger changed their stance.

Nathan guy has tuned in pretty smartly – Wellington does NOT want a casino. Sky City’s publicity campaign a few years ago for a Wellington casino fell flat on its face. The anti-casino lobby groups in wellinmgton are well organised. SkyCity Casino in Hamilton offers spectacular views of the Waikato River. Dunedin’s casino is located in the historic Grand Hotel, restored to create an opulent Monte Carlo-style atmosphere, and the lively casino at Queenstown is right on the wharf with views of the lake and mountains.

In 1992, the city had accepted a waterfront concept plan which included a casino-hotel. By 1995, when the council’s waterfront company was completing its two huge buildings on Queens Wharf – the retail centre (which would eventually fail) and the events centre – it was also involved in secret negotiations with a company named Casinos Austria International Ltd, which had a base in Queensland and which claimed that the Austrian government was its majority shareholder.

Representatives came to Wellington from Brisbane and were smoothly persuasive in describing how they wanted to build a large casino-hotel on Taranaki Wharf. Their plans involved demolishing the Odlins Building and Shed 22. The city council thought this would be a great idea. It entered into a redevelopment agreement. It wanted the Queenslanders (or the Austrians?) to run the hotel and the casino, but somehow it claimed the $120m venture would be “substantially owned by New Zealand interests.”

Early in 1996 there were drawings showing (top image) what the council described as a “European-style hotel-casino” which would have occupied all the space between Cable Street and the lagoon. The new building was to be in two parts – a five-star hotel on Cable Street, connected to a triangular building on the waterfront, for the gamblers. Pedestrians wanting to get from Civic Square to Te Papa would have had to walk through an internal street between the gambling rooms and the hotel. Great for encouraging gambling.

When public opposition started growing, the council’s company found itself under pressure to cancel its agreement. The opposition had three dimensions: no one wanted the two heritage buildings to be demolished, no one wanted to lose all the open space on Taranaki Wharf, and no one wanted large-scale gambling to be established in the centre of the city.

Does Wellington New Zealand Have A Casino Hotel

But the council refused to cancel its agreement. So the project moved on to a resource consent. Then things ended quite quickly.

When commissioners began hearing the application, they received 140 objections. The opposition was too strong. In May of 1996, the application was rejected. There was general agreement that Wellington did not want a casino-hotel.

Does Wellington New Zealand Have A Casino Opening

1. Fifteen years ago I certainly didn’t support a casino and I don’t see any reasons to change now!

   Let’s enjoy attracting people to live, work, study and play with our lovely waterfront, exciting events of sports, culture and participation. WOW’s about to delight us again – and we have excellent theatres, galleries, cafes and restaurants. No need for a casino to take money out of the local economy and have other negative effects.

2. Lee, 18. September 2012, 16:41

   So good to hear that commitment from the mayor!
   The harmful effect of casinos on communities is well established, and Wellington does so many creative things so well it doesn’t need the drag represented by gambling. It still feels safe to walk around town at night.

   And really fast research, Lindsay!

3. Leopards and Spots, 18. September 2012, 19:06

   There’s still a few Councillors kicking around WCC from the era of the first casino plan…

4. Phil C, 19. September 2012, 0:54

   Dotted throughout the regions of Europe that are bereft of planning laws are casino hotels, lumpen testimony to the avarice and vulgarity of local politicians and developers, not to mention the stupidity of those who gamble. It was depressing to see Wellington being demeaned by the local politico peasantry in the 1990s; apparently the rot has now infected the Tenths Trust.

   Wellington railway station is, I believe, the finest building in the country. Personally, I believe it exceeds the merit afforded to Dunedin railway station given (i) its earthquake-proofing innovations; (ii) that it actually still receives a decent amount of trains and (iii) the gorgeous Deco interiors. Those who advocate bastardising its lofty, measured proportions with pokie machines are really not fit for any role in civil society.

5. Maximus, 19. September 2012, 16:55

   Finest building in the country? Really? I think there may be more than a few people who would disagree with you there. Both inside and out, it promises, but never really delivers. For instance – take that monumental great entry hall. Yes, reminiscent of the great railway stations of Europe and America, but sadly and pathetically executed. The stations of Europe echo with life – here in Wellington we have what – a steady stream of people passing through and straight out the other side, while all it can sustain in the way of shops is an old bag shop, and a new branch of New World. Instead everyone goes rushing through to the much lower scale ticket hall booth area, much more domestic and humble in scale. The architecture, I would argue, is fatally flawed…

6. Phil C, 19. September 2012, 20:52

   I would argue that the use of the building has been fatally flawed, and reflects the dire state of New Zealand’s decision making concerning rail and the role of the state. The stations of Europe “echo with life” as rail is central to life here. Wellington fares better than other centres in NZ, however. It is not uncommon for stations here in the UK and the continent to have grand entrances and humble platforms; rarely does the train shed echo the splendor of the stations entrance as with, for example, Brunel’s peerless Paddington Station or Scott’s grand exercise in whimsy at St Pancras. Being a self-confessed train geek, there is something unique about the “homely brutalist deco” styling of the station that I’ve not seen elsewhere on my travels. I would be interested in your views on buildings in NZ that have greater architectural and engineering merit.

   Using it as a casino would be a wonderful testament to the poverty of spirit of modern urban planning in New Zealand.