A well-liked New Zealand cafe mentioned it is going to be pressured to shut subsequent 12 months after the property’s high-profile proprietor, Oscar-winning filmmaker Peter Jackson, ended its lease as a part of a wider redevelopment plan.
Jackson, greatest recognized for steering the “Lord of The Rings” movies, bought the historic Submarine Barracks property on the Wellington peninsula with companion Fran Walsh in 2023.
At the time, the couple mentioned they needed to revive the realm’s “natural beauty”.
The Chocolate Fish Cafe, which operates from the historic property, mentioned it was knowledgeable final week that its well-known landlords would finish the lease in January, calling it a “devastating blow”.
“Despite our requests, we haven’t yet been given the opportunity to speak with Peter and Fran directly, and we are asking for that chance,” the cafe mentioned in an announcement on social media. “We don’t want to be forced to close. We don’t want to be shut down.”
WingNut PM, the property arm of Jackson and Walsh’s WingNut Group, mentioned there had been “occupancy discussions” with the cafe’s homeowners since 2024.
The redevelopment plan is meant to “reinvigorate the city and provide a public amenity for all Wellingtonians to enjoy”, the corporate mentioned in an announcement to the NZ Herald newspaper.
“To deliver on the vision a complete refurbishment of the historic Submarine Barracks building that the Chocolate Fish Cafe presently occupies is necessary.”
The renovations would make it unattainable for the cafe to proceed operations past January and its homeowners had been provided help so it might stay open into the summer time interval, the assertion added.
© 2025 AFP