Apprentice boss in rates battle

Wellington property king Terry Serepisos hit with $2m bill. Photo / Supplied

Television star Terry Serepisos has been accused of taking advantage of his wealth and celebrity status to rack up millions of dollars in unpaid rates.

The Apprentice host is understood to owe around $2 million to the Wellington city council, infuriating local politicians who say he should not receive preferential treatment.

Councillor Brian Pepperell said: "The irony is they can be quite brutal on people owing small amounts of money, and that irks the average punter."

Allan Probert, a mayoral candidate in this year's local body elections, said he was "outraged" by the rates saga.

"I'm ropeable about the way this has been handled, and this is really typical of this council - everything is done behind closed doors."

Wellington mayor Kerry Prendergast, who is running for a fourth term, angrily rejected the criticism: "If people think Serepisos is getting preferential treatment for his celebrity status, they're mistaken."

Serepisos owns vast chunks of property in Wellington, and claims his Phoenix football side has injected millions of dollars into the Capital's economy.

The tycoon, whose wealth is estimated at $140 million, told the Dominion Post that the recession had affected his cashflow.

"It's not just me, guys, it is the whole world. All I'm saying is I'm not immune to the global crisis," he said.

Prendergast said the council had been negotiating with Serepisos for some months over the rates bill.

She denied any link between the football team and the unpaid rates bill: "We have been working with Serepisos, as we do with other struggling ratepayers."

The council has discretion to initiate court action to recover unpaid rates, but Prendergast said this was not being considered in Serepisos' case.

It's not just the council pressing Serepisos for payment. Contractors who helped build a hotel on Tory St have banded together claiming the property developer owed them almost $200,000.

Palmerston North joiner Bryan Beals said he was owed $66,089. "This is a pretty simplistic industry, really: People either pay or they don't."

He said he was meeting with Serepisos next week in an attempt to settle the account.

Another contractor, who did not wish to be named, said: "He's put himself out there publicly with The Apprentice and, for a man of wealth that he is, not to pay his bills?"

Serepisos' spokesman John Mitchell downplayed the amount owed to the council: "Terry owns a lot of property around Wellington, and by dint of that has a large rates bill."

Glenn Sims, managing director of Redflame Media and producer of The Apprentice, last night defended his star: "I'm not worried about Terry's credibility because all these attacks are Tall Poppy syndrome."

TVNZ was also standing by the top-rating show. Spokeswoman Megan Richards said: "Serepisos' private affairs are his own business, and we will not be commenting."

TVNZ had undertaken due diligence prior to Serepisos' being picked for the show.

matt.nippert@hos.co.nz