Mountainside folly: what now for the Chateau?

Mountainside folly: what now for the Chateau?
A romantic money pit: the Chateau was postcard perfect when it snowed. (Image: NZME)
Pattrick Smellie
Fixing seismic weaknesses and other upgrades at the iconic Chateau Tongariro Hotel would have cost more than $15 million for a hotel that didn't make a profit in 31 out of 32 years to 2017.Releases to BusinessDesk under the Official Information Act show that the Chateau closed in February because the hotel’s operator, Kah New Zealand, could not reach commercially acceptable terms with the building’s ultimate owner, the Department of Conservation, following six years of negotiations for a renewal.Now, the fate of the Category 1 h...

More Editor's Picks

Rare Returns: the state of NZ’s red meat sector
Primary Sector Rare Returns

Rare Returns: the state of NZ’s red meat sector

NZ’s red meat price rebounds, but cracks in the system are hard to ignore.

Riley Kennedy 13 Oct 2025
Latest cap raise values Sharesies at $750m
Markets

Latest cap raise values Sharesies at $750m

In its eighth raise since 2017, Sharesies values its shares at $205 apiece.

Pattrick Smellie 10 Oct 2025