Waiwera closed and staff laid off for renovations

Confusion surrounds the precise direction and future of the Waiwera hot pools, following its closure for refurbishment last week and all staff being made redundant.

Speaking on Wednesday, February 7, former acting general manager Dennis Richards said the resort and spa were now closed for four to six months, although a staff member who answered the phone on another occasion said it could be six to eight months.

“There’s been a bit of confusion,” Mr Richards said. “We’re closed for a major refurbishment and we have a project manager attending meetings today with architects and planners and once we have done that, I’ll be in a position to say more.”

He said the redundancies were unfortunate, but said the jobs would be open again once work had been completed.

“Of course they will,” he said. “We’ve taken a list of those people who want to reapply. It’s unfortunate, but they were made redundant because there is no work available for them to do while this goes on.

“We went through a consultation process properly and, apart from one little hitch, it’s all been resolved.”

There was some uncertainty around Mr Richards’ own position, he added.

“I was acting general manager until last night (Waitangi Day), I don’t know what I am today,” he said.

“I’m going to step down, I’m going to clean up here, but I’m available at the moment and will be able to tell you what’s happening in the next week.

“There’s been a lot of speculation, because we’re an iconic part of the area,” he added. “I’ve worked here nearly 30 years, so it’s a pretty big thing for me to see it closed when it’s been open every day.”

The Waiwera resort was closed for the first phase of its redevelopment for two weeks in the run-up to Christmas, then reopened for the school holidays.

The resort’s website features images of how the refurbishment might look and a link to Auckland Council’s resource consent for the works.

The home page said on Wednesday that the planned refurbishment work would bring “a fresh new look and feel to the resort and café”, with the statement, “We hope you are as excited as we are!!”