Maungaraupi Country Estate manager Fiona O'Connor is disappointed with the current situation. Photo / Olivia Reid
Maungaraupi Country Estate has had to cancel bookings after a liquor licence application revealed the property is zoned for residential, not commercial activity.
It means the heritage manor cannot host weddings, gatherings, tours or paid visits and can only operate as an Airbnb with up to five people at a time.
The homestead on Leedstown Rd between Marton and Hunterville was built in 1906.
The estate’s manager, Fiona O’Connor, who leases the property, recently applied for a liquor and food licence to cater for events, which required council inspections and background checks.
The process revealed that in 2010, the previous owners reclassified the property from a commercial zone to residential.
Council chief executive Carol Gordon said any future commercial classification would require the estate to meet the requirements of the Building Act.
“In this context, the council’s role is as a regulator, ensuring compliance with national law,” Gordon said.
“Council met with the leaseholder to outline what would be required to reinstate a commercial operation at the site.”
Gordon said there were many requirements under the Building Act that must be met, including fire safety and accessibility.
“As fire safety and means of escape can be particularly technical and complex, our advice... was to consult a qualified fire engineer and outline all the activities she intended to undertake in the house,”she said.
O’Connor said she understood the council’s perspective but wondered why the property had been reclassified in the first place.
She said the house is “incredibly safe”, with 13 exits on the bottom floor alone, multiple sprinklers in each room and fire alarms.
With the house being over 100 years old, O’Connor said it would be difficult to comply with post-2010 regulations.
“Not all situations fit neatly within the rules, especially a property this old,” she said.
She said she is willing to make reasonable changes that did not detract from its heritage value.
O’Connor has had to cancel or rebook more than 700 people, including a wedding, a Christmas party and several classic vehicle meet-ups, and said it had been difficult to break the news to those involved.
“I believed this was all going to work, that’s why this is such a shock to me,” she said.
O’Connor has been trying to “think outside the box” to gain revenue, such as hosting events outside, but was told she could not provide food or alcohol with residential functions.
“I could put up marquees all week but if I can’t make anything from it at all, it doesn’t serve me in any possible way,” she said.
Gordon said the council recognised the challenging situation O’Connor was in and the property was an important contributor to the district’s vibrancy, economy and visitor appeal.
Rangitīkei Mayor Andy Watson sympathised with O’Connor but said he and the council were “hamstrung”.
“The community wants to support her, I want to support her, but, like any business, there has to be some process around it,” Watson said.
“If there was anything I could do to possibly help her, I absolutely would.
“It is a magnificent property and she is incredibly well-organised, her background is impeccable, but I am hamstrung.”
Gordon said the council would continue to work constructively with the owners and O’Connor, offering any guidance and advice it could, should they wish to change the property’s use back to commercial.
The Chronicle has approached owner Paul Bayly for comment.
O’Connor said it was important for the manor to continue as a visitor attraction because of its history, beauty and story.
“Right now we need the council to come to a balance, we should be able to come to some kind of agreement and resolution – not just a shutdown,” she said.
“Maungaraupi is one of the few heritage properties that hasn’t been altered in any way – it is still the same structure that was built in 1906.
“Hunterville needs something like this. I think having a hub where the community can come to and a place where people gather is an important thing for communities.”
O’Connor has also contacted MPs in the hope of some assistance.
“I will try, I have still got a bit of enthusiasm in me, but I probably cannot continue – these properties get forgotten about if you can’t use them.”
Fin Ocheduszko Brown is a multimedia journalist based in Whanganui.