Media Release:  9 May 2013

An old favourite on the Peak is being revamped and reopened, thanks to a new lease for Peak House, just announced by Te Mata Park Trust.

The iconic Peak House has been vacant for more than 12 months. The Trust is in the process of developing the Te Mata Park Visitor and Education Centre, sited just below Peak House, but re-leasing Peak House until the Centre opens will provide much needed facilities at the Park in the interim.

The new lease will see local Alex Kersjes open The Peak, at Peak House. While the premises is being renovated, Mr Kersjes is on the hunt for an executive chef to produce a stunning Hawke’s bay menu and plans to open by the end of July.

The Peak will offer a daytime casual cafe menu and an interim point of call for visitor information about the Park. Evenings will see a menu showcasing the best of the Bay in a warm environment framing the spectacular views. The Peak will also be available for weddings, corporate functions and private parties.

“I’m really excited to have the opportunity to open The Peak, it’s such a fantastic site with tremendous opportunity,” says Mr Kersjes.

“I’m Hawke’s Bay born and bred so I’m looking forward to being part of celebrating Hawke’s Bay and the Park.”

Mr Kersjes has recently returned from the United Kingdom where he was involved in the hospitality industry. He also recently purchased local establishments, the Corn Exchange and Turks Bar.

The new lease is great news for the Park and the Peak, says Mark Holder, Trustee, Te Mata Park Trust.

“It’s great to see the building occupied until we open the Centre. Having a cafe gives visitors somewhere other than the lookout to enjoy the tranquillity and stunning views. ”

“Mr Kersjes has a passion for the Park and Hawke’s Bay and we are delighted to have him operating The Peak.”

Lease of the Peak House building also helps fund essential park activities and maintenance and the development of the new Centre.

“Another important element to having a business operating within the Park is the passive security, having people keeping an eye on people going into the Park, especially after dark,” says Mr Holder.

The Peak will continue to operate until the new Te Mata Park Visitor and Education Centre is up and running.

The new Centre will house a 60 seat café which will be leased to an independent operator, which is yet to be awarded.

Resource consent for the Visitor and Education Centre has now been publicly notified and public submissions to Hastings District Council will close at 4.30pm on Friday 24 May.

To date, $2.25m of the $4m needed to fund the new Centre has been secured from Hastings District Council ($1.1m); Hawke’s Bay Regional Council ($500,000); Napier City Council ($250,000); and $400,000 from private philanthropists and charitable trusts by fundraising consultancy Giblin Group.

You have until 5pm 24^th May to make a submission to Hastings District Council, before a decision is made on whether this stunning facility can be built.

Go to www.hastingsdc.govt.nz/resourceconsents to make a submission.

Here’s some inspiration:

• Te Mata Park Visitor and Education Centre will provide the more than 200,000 people who visit Te Mata Park each year with the modern facilities that today’s visitors demand. Currently there is no signage, limited parking, no access to drinking water and no toilets.
• Te Mata Park Visitor and Education Centre will ‘future-proof’ the Park, alleviating growing pressure from increased visitors. That will mean the rest of the park will remain the place so many people have come to know and cherish.
• Te Mata Visitor and Education Centre will communicate the Park’s unique geology, ecology, history and cultural significance to users and visitors to ensure it will be conserved and preserved.
• Te Mata Park Visitor and Education Centre will allow for significantly improved car parking, along with parking for large tourist coaches, so that passengers can transfer to minibuses to continue the ascent up the Peak.  This will mean increased safety for private vehicles, which will still be able to drive to the summit.
• Te Mata Visitor and Education Centre will provide a gateway to the Park. It will be a hub for visitors to learn about the parks unique features and a starting a point for them to set out across the Parks many tracks.
• Te Mata Park Visitor and Education Centre will be stunning! Architect Chris Kelly has designed a high quality facility of regional architectural significance, which will be of huge value to the community.
• Te Mata Park Visitor and Education Centre will compliment its surroundings. The design ensures the Centre will sit within the landscape with minimal visual or environmental impact.
• Te Mata Park Visitor and Education Centre will be landscaped to blend into its surroundings, integrating it with the wider Park and walkways.
• Te Mata Park Visitor and Education Centre will provide a valuable education facility to Hawke’s Bay. The Centre theatre will accommodate a class of children or visitor group and can double as a classroom. School groups will at long last have facilities such as a resource area, park interpretation and, most importantly, toilets.
• The Te Mata Visitor and Education Centre’s circular viewing platform will offer views across the Heretaunga Plains, putting the region in context for newcomers and will even be open when the building is closed.
• A green space within the circular building will be used for powhiri (ceremonial welcomes), providing a stunning setting to welcome dignitaries to the region or to mark regional milestones.
• Te Mata Park Visitor and Education Centre will be a place for people to reference themselves to the local culture through the experience of the legend, history and heritage of Te Mata Park.
• Te Mata Park Visitor and Education Centre will provide another place for Hawke’s Bay visitors to experience, extending their stay and the amount they spend, benefiting Hawke’s Bay’s tourism industry and economy.
• Te Mata Park Visitor and Education Centre is an environmentally sustainable building, using natural and passive lighting, energy efficient methods and sustainable material choices.
• Te Mata Park Visitor and Education Centre is a low-cost project. At $4m the project offers huge value for humble investment. The burden on ratepayers has been limited and spread across the region, with local corporates and philanthropists showing enthusiasm for contributing to the shortfall.
• Te Mata Park Visitor and Education Centre will be functional and flexible, with the design catering for multiple uses and future growth.

Hawke’s Bay residents have until 4.30pm on Friday, 24th May to submit their views to Hastings District Council on the development of the Te Mata Park Visitor and Education Centre.

The Te Mata Park Trust has raised $2.25m of the $4m it needs to start construction subject to a resource consent being granted. If consent is granted it will be a major milestone in attracting the remaining funds needed for the project.

Due to the significance of Te Mata Peak, the Trust wanted the consent to be fully notified to ensure the views of the whole community were heard and any concerns addressed.

Trust chairman Bruno Chambers says park users and the wider Hawke’s Bay community have been over-whelmingly supportive of the development to date and he’s calling on those people to put their views in writing too.

“The Centre will have a significant positive impact on Hawke’s Bay’s economic, education and health outcomes and at this stage we are not aware of anyone who is anything but totally supportive of the project. However, if there are any concerns we want to know about them,” Mr Chambers says.

Visitors to the Centre, to be located off the lower carpark, will learn about the park’s history, its unique flora and fauna, its fascinating geological character and its intriguing Maori and European social history. The Centre will provide visitors with a unique perspective and an opportunity to orientate themselves within the region.

The Centre will be the destination for an increasing number of bus tours. It will also provide a place for bus passengers to transfer to smaller shuttles, eliminating the need for large vehicles to go to the summit, in turn increasing safety for other road users.

The Centre will be the focal point of the Park, making it accessible for schools and all members of the public regardless of age or ability. It will also provide a meeting place for park user groups, space for education programmes, a café and facilities, such as toilets, for the more than 200,000 visitors the Peak attracts each year. Access to the Centre will be free.

The Centre, designed by award-winning architect Christopher Kelly, will complement the natural curves of the Park and provide 180 degree views from the viewing platform.

Hawke’s Bay’s councils have already shown their support with Hastings District Council contributing $1.1m, Hawke’s Bay Regional Council $500,000 and Napier City Council $250,000.

In addition to council contributions, Hawke’s Bay fundraising consultancy, Giblin Group, has also secured another $400,000 from private philanthropists and charitable trusts.

People wishing to submit can download a submission form at http://www.hastingsdc.govt.nz/resourceconsents. For more information on what the Centre will offer Hawke’s Bay go to www.tematapark.co.nz .

For more information: Please contact Te Mata Park Trust chair Bruno Chambers on ph. 027 476 2635 or Giblin Group communications consultant Erin Harford on ph.027 445 6611.

Constructed with minimal earthworks, Te Mata Visitor and Education Centre will be nestled into the natural contours of the park and have low visual impact from the Heretaunga Plains.

A model of the Te Mata Park Visitor and Education Centre has been on display at events held in the park over the last six months. Throughout the submission period the model will be on display at Hastings i-Site.