$5m Mitre 10 mega store given green light

Celebrations at a Masterton office now homing key Maori organisations included an official green light yesterday for the building of a $5m Mitre 10 mega store on Maori land in the town.
The open day at Wairarapa Moana House in Park Avenue attracted a crowd of about 60 people, including trust and board members and kuia and kaumatua from Wairarapa Moana Trust, Papawai Kaikokirikiri Trust, Wairarapa Moana Incorporated, and iwi authority Kahungunu ki Wairarapa.
Masterton Mayor Garry Daniell and Wairarapa MP John Hayes spoke to the gathering along with organisation heads and Papawai Kaikokirikiri trustee Wai Quayle, who announced the building of an 11000sqm Masterton Mitre 10 mega store that will see the present business premises in Ngaumutawa Road move to a site bordered by Herewini Street and Akura Road on land leased from the trust.
Mr Daniell, speaking as a Masterton Mitre 10 director, said work is to start on the building in February with a target opening date of Labour Weekend.
He said the green light for the $5m project comes after negotiations with the trust over leasing of the land that began several months ago. Known as a "new generation" store, the Mega Store will cover 11,000sqm, he said, which is about double the floor area of the new Pak'n'Save supermarket in Kuripuni.
The store will also have a "possibly" covered timber yard, a plant and garden section, a drive-through for building material sales, a children's play area, a cafeteria and about 220 car-parking spaces, he said.
It is likely the existing Queen Street Mitre 10 will become part of the new venture, he said, allowing for stock consolidation under a single management and accounting system.
Also announced at the open day was the launching yesterday morning of a Wairarapa Moana website that will herald the successes and operation of arguably the biggest Wairarapa-based business.
The company includes sheep, beef and dairy units near Mangakino with an asset base of $152 million and a staff of about 60, and pays dividends to about 3000 shareholders in the region.
Wairarapa Moana House is to centralise Moana trust operations as well as serving as home to the Papawai Kaikokirikiri Trust, which administers a substantial portfolio of educational grants, and the iwi authority Kahungunu ki Wairarapa.
Also present at the celebrations yesterday was Rangitaane O Wairarapa iwi authority representatives, Mayor of Carterton Gary McPhee, Masterton police representatives and a Te Karere current affairs television film crew.