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Taupō s posh Huka Lodge set to be sold to American private equity firm
29 Jan, 2021 04:23 AM
4 minutes to read
An American private equity fund has been allowed to buy Huka Lodge. Photo / Supplied
What do Queen Elizabeth II, the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Edward, Tilda Swinton, Donald Sutherland, Joan Collins, Michael Douglas, Sir Peter Jackson, Sam Neill and Michael J Fox all have in common? Answer: they ve all stayed at Huka Lodge, which is now being sold.
The famous Taupō lodge has been voted one of the most romantic tourism venues and has hosted some of the world s richest and most famous people. But now an American private equity business has won government consent to buy the high-profile tourist resort and it has big expansion plans.
The lodge was owned by Belgium-based Worldwide Leisure Limited. In the application, the investors said they intended to continue operation of the Huka Lodge business and expand the main lodge and develop new spa and gym facilities.
Supplied
The Overseas Investment Office has given the green light for the sale of Huka Lodge to a United States-based private equity firm. The primary benefits of the sale included the creation of about four new permanent full-time roles and 25 temporary roles, an increase in exports due to the investors’ extensive and established distribution network, advancement of Tourism NZ’s premium sector strategy and the introduction into New Zealand of additional investment, according to the Overseas Investment Office (OIO) decision.