Hotel owners: ‘Couple of disputes’ to resolve over Park Hyatt

• Published date: 24 July 2021

Richard Aitken, Fu Wah NZ general manager, said: “We’ve got a couple of disputes with a few people but we’re working our way through it.” The business was extremely proud of the new 195-room, five-star hotel, but he acknowledged some outstanding financial issues were yet to be resolved.

“It’s more in the millions than tens of millions,” he said of discussions with parties over the property at 101-135 Halsey St.

One party who contacted the Weekend Herald said his business was owed a substantial sum and had been awaiting settlement for months.

The contact, who did not want to be named, knew of other parties also claiming final payments.

Aitken said: “This is a natural part of a big job like this. We’ve come to the end of the project and we’re tidying up various matters that came out of it. I don’t think there’s any major issues or blowouts”.

Contracts signed with different parties who worked on the hotel had dispute resolution clauses in them “which we will honour”, he said.

Asked why the hotel was originally publicised as being around $200m but closer to completion was put at $300m, Aitken said: “The $200m was released by Waterfront Auckland as the potential investment and that was the number they came up with. Sure, the thing cost more than we thought it would but $300m was always closer to the real amount”.

The building is owned by Auckland Hotel Investment which is owned by Fu Wah NZ. The directors are...