29th May 2006
Appeal Court Hearing Adjourned For Pak'nsave Wairau
Foodstuffs (Auckland) Limited has successfully sought an adjournment of the hearing of its appeal against a High Court
decision overturning the resource consent for its PAK'nSAVE supermarket on Wairau Road on Auckland's North Shore.
The case was to be heard in the Court of Appeal on 6th June, but Foodstuffs General Manager - Property Development,
Murray Jordan says the situation has changed significantly as the North Shore City Council, which was also appealing the
decision, has entered into a protocol with Transit.
The first resource consent was overturned as a result of a challenge by Foodstuffs' major competitor, Progressive
Enterprises, and Northcote Mainstreet. The High Court judge ruled that North Shore City Council should not have made the
resource consent for the PAK'nSAVE non-notified without allowing Transit adequate time to consider the impact of the
supermarket in respect to the nearby motorway.
Foodstuffs' subsidiary company National Trading Company subsequently submitted a second application for resource
consent.
“Transit has confirmed in writing that, having looked at the traffic implications of both applications, its interests
are not adversely affected. Given that we’ve now got this confirmation, it is far more efficient to have the Court of
Appeal hearing adjourned and proceed with the second resource consent application,” says Mr Jordan.
“As a result of our competitor's objections to PAK'nSAVE Wairau, an enormous amount of extra time and money has been
spent as we've worked to try and bring our policy of New Zealand's lowest food prices to the lower North Shore. If we
can get a resource consent to open the store without having to go to the Court of Appeal, that's a better result for
everyone,” he says.
PAK'nSAVE Wairau was due to open in August 2005, but work had to stop on the site in June 2005 as a result of the High
Court decision overturning the resource consent.
“Even though work stopped on the site a year ago, we are still getting calls every day from people wanting to know when
the store is going to open. We've had a tremendous amount of public support and sympathy in the face of such concerted
opposition from our Australian-owned competitors. We look forward to being able to welcome all of our supporters at
PAK'nSAVE Wairau, should this second application prove successful,” says Mr Jordan.
Foodstuffs is awaiting a date for the hearing of the second resource consent application.
ENDS