Gin palace for Lake Dunstan, but Peter Thiel faces uphill battle

Gin palace for Lake Dunstan, but Peter Thiel faces uphill battle
The shore of Lake Dunstan will be the home of a new booze distillery. (Image: Scapegrace)
Brent Melville
Tech billionaire Peter Thiel may have hit a snag in his efforts to get development approval for his Wānaka rich list retreat, but it's apparently okay for locals to build a massive distillery on the shores of nearby Lake Dunstan.Central Otago consenting authorities signed off on the $25 million distillery that is owned by small-batch distillery and exporter Scapegrace last June, and construction has started on the lakeside site near Cromwell.The 36-hectare site was purchased by Scapegrace owner, The Gin Company, in 2019.The distiller, known...

More Property

Troubled Senior Trust to wind up
Property

Troubled Senior Trust to wind up

Retirement village investor and lender says orderly wind-down in best interests.

Maria Slade 31 Jul 2025
Property-flipping firm owes IRD nearly $9m
Property

Property-flipping firm owes IRD nearly $9m

Rickhil Prakash also owns Akrish Properties, which was liquidated owing a further $4m.

Gregor Thompson 31 Jul 2025
Developer faces mortgagee sale over $17.4m loan
Property

Developer faces mortgagee sale over $17.4m loan

Nest or Invest Group also has two other companies in liquidation.

Maria Slade 31 Jul 2025
Ryman toils to rebuild shareholder confidence
Property

Ryman toils to rebuild shareholder confidence

"When is the total board going to resign?" asked one shareholder.

Gregor Thompson 30 Jul 2025