The owners of Lake Hāwea’s grocery store and cafe have told the community they aren’t going anywhere, in the wake of a proposal to redevelop the Capell Avenue site.

Lake Hāwea Holdings Ltd, owned by Wanaka businessman Matt Laming, submitted a resource consent application to the Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) late last year seeking to redevelop the land adjacent to the Hāwea Store and Kitchen (previously Sailz Lake Hāwea) for “a comprehensive complex of commercial, retail, office and visitor accommodation use”.

The consent application also refers to the possible demolition of the existing Hāwea Store and Kitchen building on the corner of Capell Avenue and Parry Crescent, with plans to repurpose the site. 

Hamish and Erica Mackay, the owners of Hāwea Store and Kitchen, signed an affected party approval consenting to the proposal, but they said in a statement on Tuesday (May 4) no decision had been made to demolish the building.

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“[We] want to reassure the Hāwea community that whatever the expansion of the Lake Hāwea commercial zone may entail, [we] are here to stay,” they said.

Images of the proposed new commercial area. IMAGE: Supplied

The couple have owned the business for four years. They said they and Lake Hāwea Holdings Ltd are “separate entities agreeing to work together for the best outcome for the community”. 

“We want to reassure our staff and customers that we are not going anywhere. As one of the few long-standing employers in Hāwea, we have provided jobs to locals and visitors to the region and New Zealand alike, for many years now, and the continuity of those jobs is important to us,” Hamish said.

Erica said they have been in talks with Lake Hāwea Holdings Ltd for several years and they signed the affected party approval document to “start the ball rolling” for the resource consent application, but “nothing is set in stone.”

“Whatever happens with the development, we intend to maintain our footprint on this site. Until consent is issued, we simply don’t have a timeframe,” she said.

“We have grown to love this community and we are fully aware of the tension around any development here. We feel strongly about maintaining real transparency around any future plans for the people who live here and for our staff.” 

The Mackays said they consider the store to be a “meeting place for the community”, and the “hub and the heart of Hāwea”.