The 244sq m apartment is in the 44-floor Zeckendorf tower at 50 UN Plaza. Photo / Supplied
The 244sq m apartment is in the 44-floor Zeckendorf tower at 50 UN Plaza. Photo / Supplied
It's our first look inside the $11 million apartment New Zealand bought in New York as a permanent residence for its ambassador to the UN.
Its first occupant is ambassador Gerard van Bohemen, who is representing New Zealand on the UN Security Council, and is currently president of the SecurityCouncil.
The apartment is in a new tower block across the road from the United Nations, overlooking the East River. It was used last week to host a lunch for the 15 members of the UN Security Council, where the council's decision-making process was on the agenda - and snapper and mini pavs were on the menu.
The 244sq m apartment is in the 44-floor Zeckendorf tower at 50 UN Plaza. It has three bedrooms and three bathrooms and overlooks the East River.
Initial news of the purchase appeared to be by way of a correction on an Australian website when it wrongly reported that the apartment had been bought by the Queen because of the wording in the sale and purchase agreement.
The purchase was criticised by Labour at the time as evidence of a culture of extravagance, but Mr van Bohemen said that in the context of the New York property market, the price wasn't huge.
"It is certainly a huge asset to us, the fact that we can have people come across the road to the building for lunch, even for breakfast, we had a breakfast there as well, and then go back to work without all the hassle of going all the way uptown, means it is a much more usable facility than the previous residence."
The 244sq m apartment is in the 44-floor Zeckendorf tower at 50 UN Plaza. Photo / Supplied
Former ambassador Jim McLay and his wife, Marcy, lived in an apartment overlooking the East River.
Labour's foreign affairs spokesman, David Shearer, said the price was extravagant in anyone's language.
"Foreign Minister Murray McCully is completely out of touch with the lives of real people."
He said the spending had come to light two years after Mr McCully had gutted the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade to save money.
Gerard van Bohemen: He has defended the $11m purchase price
"He is now splashing those savings on a flash pad for our man in New York."
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said the price of the new apartment would be offset by the sale of the old one.
"The new property is intended to be a working space as well as a residence. They layout will be used for diplomatic meetings and functions," a spokesman said in a statement.
"The higher ongoing maintenance costs and the distance from the UN building means the older residence was determined as no longer fit for purpose."
MFAT's independent advisors - the overseas property advisory panel - had endorsed the purchase as the preferred option.
The statement said the ministry owned 92 overseas properties and leased 217. Its capital budget for the 2015 - 16 year is $76.52 million.
The apartment block was designed by celebrated British architect Lord Norman Foster.
The cheapest apartment is reportedly priced at $3.6 million and the most expensive is the three storied penthouse at $145 million.
Other dwellers in the block are reported to be Christina Hendricks (Joan from Madmen) and Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bundchen and her husband, US gridiron star Tom Brady.
