Neighbours fight loss of harbour views
Apartment owners plan to block waterfront hotel proposal
Owners of apartments in Auckland’s CBD are set to fight the construction of a world- class waterfront hotel — after discovering it would block their sweeping harbour views.
Viaduct Harbour Holdings, a group of wealthy business executives, last month launched a worldwide search through Colliers International for a development partner to build the 165- room luxury hotel on Customs St West.
But the hotel they have proposed exceeds the height the Unitary Plan allows — and would block the harbour views for nearby apartments.
Apartment owners at 1 Hobson Half of Restaurant Brands New Zealand’s 4000- strong workforce is set to walk off the job today after negotiations for a new collective agreement broke down. About 2000 Unite Union members are expected to picket selected KFC stores in Auckland, Rotorua, Palmerston North, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin at lunch time over disputed pay and conditions. Restaurant Brands operates New Zealand’s KFC, Pizza Hut, Carl’s Jr and Starbucks Coffee franchises and has branched out to Australian KFC stores and Taco Bell and Pizza Hut businesses in Hawaii. The company announced a $ 26 million profit on Thursday. A coroner is recommending a law change to make it compulsory for ATV riders, including quad bikes, to wear helmets. Coroner JP Ryan, reviewing last year’s death of Rhys Mair, 17, on a South Wairarapa farm, also recommended that a separate classification and licence class be established for riders of all- terrain vehicles. But New Zealand Transport Agency said these changes would not cover off- road use. Under the Land Transport ( Road User) Rule 2004, some, but not all, ATV riders must wear helmets when on public roads. A police incident that brought Auckland’s motorway system to a standstill yesterday ended with a young woman being pulled to safety from a bridge. Concerns for the woman’s welfare sparked the closure of the Southern Motorway just after 3: 30pm as police negotiated with the woman on a bridge on Grafton Rd. Police said the woman was detained and would be seen by medical professionals for assessment. The entire motorway had reopened by 5pm but congestion around feeder roads took hours to clear. A Lower Hutt teacher accused of importing euthanasia drugs has also been charged with helping another person to commit suicide. Susan Dale Austen, a member of pro- euthanasia group Exit Wellington, appeared in the Wellington District Court yesterday where the new charge was laid against her. The charge, which carries a maximum sentence of 14 years imprisonment, says Austen aided another woman to commit suicide sometime between December 21, 2015 and June 7, 2016. She has not pleaded to any of the charges yet. A man has been arrested four months after the Christmas Eve bus crash that killed three people. Police arrested a 65- year- old man in Auckland on Wednesday night and charged him with three counts of careless driving causing death and 27 counts of careless driving causing injury in relation to the crash. He will appear in Manukau District Court next Wednesday. The bus had 53 people on board when it slammed through a barrier and went down a 100- metre bank on State Highway 2, south of Gisborne on December 24.