Plans to build a new McDonald’s and a medical centre right next to each other in Napier have been labelled a “gigantic irony” by a health advocate.
But supporters of the development say people can choose what they eat in moderation, and the project will provide jobs and new amenities.
Te Roropipi is a major development in a large paddock off Wharerangi Rd in Greenmeadows, near Park Island.
When completed, it will feature a new commercial precinct, a large retirement village, and about 140 new homes.
A resource consent application has now been lodged for the commercial precinct, which includes plans for a McDonald’s and medical centre next to each other.
A tenant for the medical centre has yet to be announced.
A Woolworths is also proposed for the precinct, which was announced in February, along with a handful of small shops and a cafe.
TW Property is delivering the commercial precinct while Mana Ahuriri owns the land, which is redress property under its Treaty settlement.
TW Property commercial director Terry May said a McDonald’s and a medical centre were both commercial uses, and there was demand for both.
Napier City Council is currently considering the resource consent application.
May said some would think it was “an outrage” and “terrible”, but people had control of what they ate, which was “a self-management thing”, and McDonald’s was a great tenant.
“Napier, supposedly, is one of the most under-resourced for [medical facilities] in the country.”
He said the supermarket had been the key driver for the commercial precinct, and had certain preferences for the site.
Woolworths had not specifically asked for a McDonald’s.
Mana Ahuriri general manager Parris Greening said the focus of the commercial space was oranga, or wellness.
Mana Ahuriri was opposed to the likes of vape shops that could cause “significant harm”, but did not see McDonald’s in that category.
He said the commercial precinct would also provide employment opportunities, including for rangatahi (youth).
Health Coalition Aotearoa co-chair Boyd Swinburn, who is also a professor at the University of Auckland’s School of Population Health, said there was a clear link between ill health and diet.
“Obviously there is a gigantic irony between a McDonald’s being placed right next to a medical centre.
“If you look at obesity and unhealthy diet, they are far and away the biggest contributors to ill health in this country.
“It’s more than twice the impact of tobacco.”
The plans essentially positioned a fast food outlet “right next to a repair shop of the medical centre”.
He said there was no legal way for the community to object to commercial plans on grounds such as the “health of local kids”.
In his view, that was an area that needed to be revisited.
Napier City Council has yet to decide whether it will notify the resource consent application.
Nearby Tamatea resident Katrina, who did not want her surname published, said locals should get a say on the proposal.
It was a conflict to have a medical centre next to a fast food outlet, and it did not promote healthy eating.
“This is a relatively low socio-economic area with lots of Māori and Pasifika people, and we already have a health crisis in New Zealand, particularly in those demographics.”
She was also concerned about possible future extensions of the restaurant’s opening hours, and believed a third McDonald’s for Napier was excessive.
Taradale ward councillor Nigel Simpson was not opposed to the plans.
“I can see the irony, and the funny side of it, but it is a commercial decision for the commercial interests.
“And at the end of the day, everyone has a personal choice.
“I’d be a hypocrite if I didn’t say I enjoy a burger occasionally.”
McDonald’s said that, if the new store went ahead, it would be the first new one in Napier for almost 30 years.
The Taradale restaurant was the latest to open in 1997. There is also a McDonald’s in the city centre.
The proposed McDonald’s includes a drive-through, but would not be a 24-hour operation.
“McDonald’s is supporting the developer for the Wharerangi Rd site as they work through the council consent process.”