Upmarket winery business for sale Nurses’ strike next week off
One of Nelson’s upmarket wine destinations, Mahana Estates, is for sale.
The sale announcement comes a week after a High Court judge ruled against a bid by two American investors to freeze the wine company’s assets as part of their court action against its owner, former American magnate Glenn Schaeffer.
The pair, James Murren and Daniel Lee, senior executives of large United States entertainment companies, are suing Schaeffer, alleging he misrepresented the investment deal in Mahana. In total, Murren invested $1.6m and Lee $700,000.
The case is scheduled to go to trial in October.
Justice Peters said in a decision last week the pair had an arguable case on one or more of their causes of action.
But he declined to continue orders freezing the Mahana assets, saying there was insufficient evidence to show a real risk of them being dissipated – lost or squandered.
Bayleys Marlborough is marketing the Mahana Estates sale as one of the country’s biggest winery-based tourism and hospitality operations.
It lists the property portfolio as including a 21-hectare vineyard planted in pinot noir, pinot gris, riesling and chardonnay grapes; a nine-hectare sauvignon blanc vineyard in nearby Hope; a winery capable of crushing 500 tonnes of grapes annually with its own bottling plant; a cellar door retail outlet; a separate functions and events venue that can host up to 200 guests and an upmarket lodge accommodating 14 guests.
Bayleys salesman Mike Poff said as well as its own vineyards, Mahana leased an additional 20-hectare site. Last year the combined plantings produced 268 tonnes of grapes, with 153 tonnes bottled under the Mahana label.
‘‘The winery is currently operating below capacity – choosing to concentrate on quality of product over quantity,’’ Poff said. The business was licensed to host 22 large-scale functions a year.
Tenders for the Mahana sale close on July 13 and it is expected to attract international interest. Because of the different permutations for potential buyers it is difficult to put a value on the portfolio.
Mahana Estates hosted a visit by Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, at the end of 2015.
In April this year, the owners of Forsters restaurant that had operated at Mahana said it had to close because of issues with the premises’ building consent, and they expressed frustration with its management.
Schaeffer made headlines in 2009 when the US company he co-founded and headed – Fontainebleau Resorts – filed for bankruptcy. It had been developing the $2.9 billion Fontainebleau Las Vegas, a 68-storey 3889 room hotel-condominiumcasino. The nurses’ union has withdrawn strike notice for next Thursday after receiving an improved offer from district health boards (DHBs).
The New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) and DHBs entered facilitation, overseen by the Employment Relations Authority, on Thursday to try to break an impasse over a new collective agreement.
NZNO industrial services manager Cee Payne said the process, which continued yesterday, resulted in DHBs putting forward an improved offer the union would recommend to its members.
Online voting will run from Tuesday next week to the following Monday.
‘‘To give members time to assess the revised offer and to vote online, NZNO has formally notified DHBs that strike action for Thursday 5 July has been withdrawn,’’ Payne said.
However, notice of a second planned 24-hour strike on July 12 remained in place. Life preserving services and contingency planning would need to continue, Payne said.
The NZNO’s negotiating team would assess the revised offer over the weekend. Payne said the union expected to be able to release the full details of the revised offer to members about 2pm on Monday. Nurses last Monday ‘‘strongly rejected’’ a revised offer from the DHBs which included three pay increases of 3 per cent each, a $2000 lump sum, the creation of two new pay steps for registered nurses, and funding for about 500 new nursing positions.