The 90-year-old Waverley Hotel has a new lessee.
Shannette Waters took on a three-year lease from Vicky and Chris Zimmerman a month ago. She sees the place as three businesses under one roof - rooms to let, meals and takeaways to be served, and the bar itself. She is hoping to
be able to let all eight rooms and do cafe-style meals with tables on the footpath in summer.
She wants to get rid of the four pokie machines and put a big screen television in the lounge. A few customers were sorry the pokies were going but most were supportive.
The new lessee is being helped by her sister-in-law and a friend.
"What a great town this is," Ms Waters said. "I came down here not knowing anyone and now I've made all these friends."
She said she had never been a publican before and had worked for the past nine years packing milk powder in Ngaruawahia. She saw the hotel up for lease on the internet.
In other good news for the South Taranaki town, the farmer-owned co-operative RD1 has bought the assets of Allied Farmers Rural Merchandise and is planning to keep the Waverley store going.
The stores in New Plymouth, Hawera and Stratford are to close, however, because there are other rural retailers in those centres.
RD1 is owned by farmers who have a share in Fonterra.
Federated Farmers Taranaki president Harvey Leach said getting the rural stores stocked up again would be great for district farmers, who will be calving and lambing soon.
