Gibbo’s on the Wharf owner Brian Gibbons and The Iceman’s Graham Mills are seeking options for their businesses now that the demolition of the wharf shed has been confirmed. Photo / Troy Baker
Gibbo’s on the Wharf owner Brian Gibbons and The Iceman’s Graham Mills are seeking options for their businesses now that the demolition of the wharf shed has been confirmed. Photo / Troy Baker
Two popular waterfront businesses will be homeless from next month when the old wharf shed building they have leased for more than a decade is demolished by the Whakatāne District Council.
The council-owned early 20th century waterfront building, beside Whakatāne Commercial Wharf, is being demolished to make way fora new flood wall.
The owners of Gibbos on the Wharf and The Iceman have been against the flood wall from the outset.
“I’m not against progress, but this is not progress,” Gibbo’s owner Brian Gibbons said.
The fish and chip restaurant and The Iceman bait, ice and fishing tackle store are preparing to close after the council gave them official notice in November last year to be out from April 30.
Bay of Plenty Regional Council is building the new flood wall.
The flood wall currently skirts the old wharf shed and Whakatāne Sportfishing Club on their landward side. The new wall will go right through where they stand.
On October 16, 2024, the council resolved to demolish the wharf shed building.
A month later staff said they would explore the possibility of relocating the building, but warned it was earthquake prone and required significant investment to bring it up to code.
The sportfishing club building will be moved behind the raised floodwall at the council’s expense, due to a condition in its harbour land lease.
Fishing club members reported the compensation amount to be about $2 million, but the council said the amount was subject to a confidentiality agreement.
“It’s a sad fact that Whakatāne is going to lose something that is very dear to them,” Gibbons said.
He has operated Gibbos with his daughter, Nicole Gibbons, at the wharf for about 10 years.
“[The wharf] is never going to be the same. The amount of people who enjoy that area ... You can walk down the wharf, chuck a rod out, have some fish and chips and go down to the fishing club and have a beer.”
Gibbons said the council and a sport fishing club committee member had suggested that once the club had moved, his shop could be incorporated in the complex.
However, he was doubtful this would happen.
“I’ve got a copy of the resource consent and on that, there’s nothing about an extra building down there for myself or for [The Iceman].”
Gibbons was looking at a range of options for Gibbo’s on The Wharf, including selling the equipment as a going concern, moving out of town or mothballing it and setting up a mobile food outlet.
Jono Mills is seeking a temporary location for his ice, bait and fishing tackle business, co-owned with his father.
Photo / LDR
Jono Mills, who owns The Iceman with his father Graham, had earlier looked into applying for heritage status for the old wharf shed.
However, that had proved difficult. While the massive slabs of kauri flooring caulked with rope indicate an earlier history, most of the building had been reclad more recently.
“It has to be a certain percentage of the original building to qualify for heritage status,” he said.
He said there had been talk about the Whakatāne Sport Fishing Club creating a building for them once it was moved onto its new site.
“We haven’t had anything in writing yet, but that is their plan,” Mills said.
Meanwhile, he was trying to find a temporary location for the business.
However, the sheer size of the ice-making machine, housed in a tower above the building, made matters difficult, he said.
“We’re not having a lot of luck at the moment because there’s not a lot around town, especially to suit the type of business we do.”
He said a smaller machine wouldn’t be able to keep up with the volumes of ice they supplied, not only to the fishing community, but also as party ice.
“In summer we can be pumping over three tonne a day.”
While The Iceman also has an icemaking site across town on Te Tahi Street catering to commercial fishermen, the wharf-side location was where fishing charters and recreational boaties filled up with ice and bait.
He said the biggest drawcard of the current location was that recreational trailer boats could pull up right to the door without even having to turn around.
“It gets them off the main road so they’re not blocking traffic.”
A district council spokesperson said staff had been in discussion with the tenants since early 2024 about the future of the buildings.
Staff had also been in discussions with both businesses about temporary options which were ongoing, the spokesperson said.
– LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
