New World Victoria Park’s burned shell has left many wondering what is going on inside the supermarket. Today’s Property Insider column gives a sneak peek and reveals details about the demolition company appointed to take it apart.
The first in-depth drone footage of one of New Zealand’s most popular but burned supermarkets shows the extent of damage and the huge demolition exercise under way.
New World Victoria Park caught fire on June 17.
Now, contractors have begun the massive clean-up.
Demolition specialist Nikau Contactors won the job to remove elements of the store, making it safe for specialists to re-enter, possibly in the next few weeks.
Herald drone footage taken last Wednesday shows a bird’s-eye view of work on the upper levels of the store.
Equipment, steel, roof beams, iron, walls and concrete are being removed for recycling.
Out of that sadness of destruction comes some good news.
Nikau was awarded the demolition contract and its signage is now clearly visible on the site.
Livingstone Building has been appointed project manager to head the rebuild of the store, not due to reopen until 2027.
Nikau is a homegrown success story, founded as a lawnmowing and landscaping business by successful husband-and-wife team John and Diana Stil.
They named the company after Nikau St, site of their New Lynn home where they raised a family.
Sons John and Michael Stil and daughter Helina Stil are today involved in the business.
Helina Stil is also president of the New Zealand Demolition and Asbestos Association, so the family have industry standing and have also won a number of awards.
Competitors include Yakka and Ward Demolition.
Nikau expanded fast during last decade’s Canterbury earthquakes. The business describes its wide range of skills as being a deconstruction, demolition, crane hire, transport, asbestos abatement and environmental remediation specialist.
Nikau says it has a proven track record in decommissioning heavy industrial infrastructure, including mills, reservoirs, abattoirs, power stations, port facilities, and manufacturing plants.
“We have successfully tackled the demolition of various structures, such as chimneys, bridges, silos, and conveyor systems, many of which were decommissioned in the 1980s and 1990s,” it says.
At New World Victoria Park, Nikau has taken down much of the roof and is now working on walls and floors.
A Foodstuffs spokesman said safety remains the priority at the burned store.
More than half of the roof has been removed, with teams continuing to dismantle the remaining roof structure to enable internal clean-up.
“A full clean-up and site restoration will follow once the building is made safe, in accordance with environmental, health and sustainability standards.
“Work is being completed in a staged approach to ensure safety and reduce the risk of falling debris. Each section of the roof is removed before teams enter to clear damaged stock.
“Progress is steady, with work advancing step by step in line with roof removal, he said.
Livingstone is engaged in a supervisory and programming capacity to support Foodstuffs, given the complexity of the site and cleaning up post-fire.
The business said last month it expected the building to be made initially safe in a six-week programme.
If that is on time, re-entry of specialists could be possible in late August.
Two mobile cranes are working on the upper-level deck, lifting unstable, heavy equipment off the site. Air conditioning units were some of the first to lighten the load.
Vehicle entry from Jervois Rd nearest College Hill is blocked via two portacoms. Orange safety fencing also obstructs the ramps.
Vehicle entry further up Jervois Rd towards Ponsonby Rd remains open for Nikau.
Work is being carried out on the roof, the loading dock and the supermarket floor below.
Those levels are suspended above the basement car parking level on the sloping site.
Shelving and signage is visible on the supermarket floor, viewed from above.
One insider said crews would be demolishing everything above the supermarket floor.
“They’ll be bulldozing it all. Apparently it stinks from rotten food.”
Nikau is filling its yellow skips, lifting those via mobile cranes on to trucks to be taken for recycling.
“It’s very badly damaged, although these pictures are no surprise given how long the fire burned,” the insider said.
All exterior walls above the first floor of the supermarket would need to be replaced, he said.
Fire and Emergency New Zealand is yet to release its report on an investigation into the fire’s cause.
Savory Construction was upgrading and remodelling the store in the biggest job of that nature, thought to be a $28 million contract. The works were planned during the past four to five years because they were so extensive.
On July 22, Foodstuffs said work would make the store safe to get into.
Specialist crews, structural engineers and safety experts would manage a staged recovery process to stabilise the structure and allow removal of fire debris, equipment and stock to take place.
CEO Chris Quin said: “Our first priority is making the building safe. The damage is significant, and we can’t put anyone at risk by having people in the building before it’s safe. That said, our teams are working with real urgency behind the scenes to get on with the job.”
Cranes were being used to remove from the roof substantial and heavy materials that are unstable, securing any compromised structural elements and preparing the interior for the safe removal of stock and equipment.
Once that was complete, specialist contractors would carry out a full clean-up and restoration of the site in line with environmental, sustainability and health standards.
Safe entry and internal demolition to be completed within the next six weeks. When it is safe to do so, structural engineers will assess what parts of the building can remain and what will need to be demolished.
Foodstuffs has confirmed it is committed to rebuilding a supermarket on the Victoria Park site.
A Winton Land business went to the Environment Court over events it can hold at Ayrburn, its new hospitality precinct outside Arrowtown.
Ayrburn Precinct appealed against the Queenstown Lakes District Council’s conditions on temporary events at The Dell each year.
Each event can hold a maximum of 3000 people, excluding staff. Amplified sound, music, vocals or similar noise is a feature of those events.
Judge John Hassan noted how four parties opposed changes to concert consent conditions: Jane and Halford Shaw, Bernard O’Leary and Natalie Throw, The Speargrass Flat Neighbours and Iris Weber.
All had expressed concern about the potential effects on the surrounding rural environment resulting from seven temporary events within a 12-month period.
Chris Meehan, Winton chief executive, told the Herald of the July 29 decision: “It lets us have four concert-style events each year.
“But we have applied for seven and we have a mediation with the parties. We are hopeful to agree on terms around our ability to offer the full seven events that we had originally applied for.
“These events bring an enormous economic benefit and enjoyment to the wider Queenstown region,” Meehan said.
Ayrburn general manager Kieran Turnbull and planning consultant Jeffrey Brown gave evidence about booking for events.
“[They] both highlight that early commencement of the consent would enable the appellant to secure bookings with sufficient notice, which is essential for event promoters who typically require nine to 12 months of lead time,” the decision said.
“This certainty would also allow the appellant to provide nearby residents timely notification ahead of any events,” the decision said.
Naumi Auckland Airport Hotel on Kirkbride Rd, Māngere is for sale, after being sold only late last decade for $50m.
CBRE’s Michael Simpson, Wayne Bunz, Tom Gibson, and Peter Hamilton are the agents.
A CBRE spokeswoman said the hotel was built in 1973, expanded in 1986 and again in 1997.
It is a two-level building on a 1.9ha site.
In 2018, the Herald reported a privately-owned Singaporean business as having bought it and reopening what was then described as a $50m property.
Gaurang Jhunjhnuwala, chief executive of Naumi Australia and New Zealand, said then that his family-owned firm had confidence in the outlook for tourism in New Zealand.
CBRE’s Bunz told the Herald last week the family was now seeking to “recycle” capital.
He mentioned the $180m paid for the new InterContinental Auckland.
Precinct Properties said in March it would sell to Singapore Exchange-listed Hotel Properties, an established owner, operator and developer of hotels, resorts and shopping centres in 17 countries.
Anne Gibson has been the Herald‘s property editor for 25 years, written books and covered property extensively here and overseas.