The fraud case that s halted monster $1bn Pokeno property development stuff.co.nz - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from stuff.co.nz Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
A huge subdivision at Pokeno has been beset by a feud over illegal commission payments.
A planned ‘monster’ development in a sleepy Waikato town has faltered with a civil trial due to follow a criminal trial after a major stoush between investors. National Correspondent Steve Kilgallon reports. Eight years ago, Pokeno had just 600 inhabitants. But things are changing rapidly in the small Waikato town, once known for its bacon, its giant ice-cream scoops and the gas station where Kelly Johnson fuelled up his Mini for free in Goodbye Pork Pie. Just 53km from downtown Auckland, huge new estates have swollen the population, and with more re-zoning on the horizon, real estate agent Eric Chase saw a prime opportunity to cash in if he could persuade local landowners to sell up their land simultaneously.