Future of Twizel still in doubt

Press, 27 April 1983, Page 2

Future of Twizel still in doubt

Mr Howard Hall, the Australian entrepreneur who wants to sell Twizel, is in New Zealand to discuss the future of the township with the Mackenzie County Council.

He said in Christchurch yesterday that he intended to visit the area within the next few days but that he had been told by the. Mackenzie County Clerk, Mr B. J. Dwyer, that it was too early to make an offer.

The Government, which two years' ago rejected a retention scheme put by Mr Hall, recently offered the town to the council together with a grant of $150,000. However, Mr Dwyer told “The Press” yesterday that the council would not formally discuss the proposal until May 6, and that several details of it required further elaboration.

He said that he had prepared a report on the offer and outlined some of the options available to the council, but that these had not yet been considered. Among them was the proposal that the council sell off the houses itself, Mr

Dwyer said. If it chose to do that, Mr Hall would be squeezed out, but Mr Dwyer said that it would be “inappropriate” for him to speculate on the council’s decision before the issue had been discussed.

“We have not really got to that stage yet. I am still circulating the reports to the councillors.”

Mr Hall, who has spent about $30,000 on Twizel already in air fares, accommodation, and research, was philosophical about the possibility that there would be no space for him in the scheme.

“That is what happens,” he said.

Mr Hall put an offer to the council in February last year that it buy the township and he act as entrepreneur, market it, and split the profits. He had not received any reply to the proposal, he said.

His plans now were to study the wording of the Government’s offer and see if there was any room for him to buy the township or a section of it. However, he

doubted that any decision would be made within the next two or three months.

“It takes time to put ideas together and see if the scheme is worth while,” he said.

In reply to Mr Dwyer’s comment that it would be premature to put a proposal at this stage, Mr Hall said that he did not think that any offer could ever be made too early.

“I came over to see if the council would accept an offer, but if it is not at the point of receiving one, I will be quite happy to help it as an outsider,” he said.

Mr Hall said that last year he had picked up three properties, marketed them, sold them, and walked out with the profits.

“That is how I work. I can usually keep playing round until buyers are found.” The council would have “hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of lots” to sell under the Government’s scheme, Mr Hall said. It might sell the first hundred, but what would it do with the rest?