Wainuiomata motel ban row continues

Labour MP Trevor Mallard is banned from Palmerston North's Supreme Motor Lodge just like the other 16,000 people from Wainuiomata. Photo / Mark Mitchell

The standoff at Supreme Motor Lodge shows no sign of abating.

Australian owner Steve Donnelly reiterated yesterday the entire 16,000 population of Wainuiomata was banned from his Palmerston North motel - something born and bred Labour MP Trevor Mallard discovered when he tried to book in last night.

"As a Scotsman I don't have a vote, it doesn't matter to me, you're banned," motel manager Malcolm Glen told the MP.

Mr Donnelly slapped on the ban because of a variety of problems he said had been caused by sports and school teams from Wainuiomata, which lies southeast of Lower Hutt over the Wainui Hill.

"After three months, six months of consistent problems, we decided we needed to stop that emotional bleeding, that cleaning up the extreme mess of rooms, that arrogance that we were getting... we thought the quickest and easiest way to put paid to that was to say no more people from Wainuiomata," he told Campbell Live.

Sports teams from Wainuiomata High School and the town's indoor sports club were accused of spitting, playing loud music at night, using obscene language and being unruly.

But the school's principal, Rob Mill, said the motel manager Mr Glen was out of order.

"If anyone was behaving badly when the school sports team stayed there last year it was the manager," he told the programme. "The manager at the time was just acting in a totally inappropriate manner.

"Yes, some of the boys were a bit noisy, but not excessively so, but he was incredibly aggressive to the students and to the teacher in charge, and manhandled them, his use of language ... and was clearly under the influence of alcohol at the time."

The school had complained to the Moteliers Association and considered going to police over the matter, he said.

Mr Donnelly denied Mr Glen had manhandled anyone or was drunk and said he had hosted teachers with the party to a few drinks.

"There's lots of lovely people down at Wainuiomata I am sure, I just don't have the energy and time after our experience to vet them.

"We will look at that on a case by case basis, going forward, but I am not lifting the ban at this stage. We'll do that as a company when it suits us."

Mr Mallard was filmed by TV1's Closeup attempting to book into the motel yesterday.

Mr Glen had asked if Mr Mallard wanted him to write a trespass note.

Mr Mallard said he did, but he didn't get one.

What he did get was some more aggro from the manager: "You're on my property, I've asked you to remove yourself."

Mr Mallard politely retreated.

"It doesn't seem to be the high end level of hospitality we would expect overseas visitors to go for," he remarked.

Earlier, he had described the ban as stupid and unfair.

"It shows the sort of blind prejudice I thought we didn't have in New Zealand any more. I'm not surprised the (owner's) Australian," he told the Dominion Post.

- NZPA