Chateau Tongariro: DoC spends $4.5m maintaining shuttered hotel
The Department of Conservation has spent more than $4.5 million maintaining Chateau Tongariro since it closed in early 2023.
More than $1.4m of that was spent on power and gas while the site has been closed to the public.
Chateau Tongariro is in limbo as the Government weighs up options for its future.
The Department of Conservation (DoC) took over the management and responsibility for Chateau Tongariro in March 2023, after previous operator KAH chose not to renew its lease.
Figures released to Newstalk ZB after an Official Information Act request reveal DoC spent $4,505,556.25 on operating and maintenance costs for Chateau Tongariro between March 2023 and July 2026.
That included $1,440,191.34 spent on power and gas.
The department is still spending money on upkeep, as no long-term option has been selected.
DoC previously estimated it spent up to $2.1m annually to account for ongoing and anticipated costs for work on potential long-term options.
Most was spent on ongoing costs, including power, rates, pest control, project management, security, insurance, lift maintenance, fire systems, repairs, lawns, property rates, boiler inspections and alarms.
The remainder was spent on one-off costs including project management and resourcing, travel and a property report on the state of the site.
DoC said costs included assessing the condition of the building and exploring market interest in “refurbishing and operating the hotel”.
A 2023 briefing to Minister of Conservation Tama Potaka showed officials had warned the building would continue to deteriorate despite ongoing maintenance spending.
This year, investors were told the building was in a “poor state of repair” and needed millions of dollars to be brought to an acceptable standard.
The Government has held discussions with key stakeholders, including iwi, on whether the heritage-listed chateau should reopen with a new operator, face demolition, or be mothballed.
It’s unclear whether a decision on its future will be made before the November 7 election.
Azaria Howell is a multimedia reporter working from Parliament’s press gallery. She joined NZME in 2022 and became a Newstalk ZB political reporter in late 2024, with a keen interest in public service agency reform and government spending.