Early Edition with Kate Hawkesby

I am so pleased to see NZ Herald Business Journalist Kate McNamara continue to write about the woes in the Ruapehu District.   Why? Because the Ruapehu region has been hit hard with indecision around the two ski fields, the sudden closure of the Chateau two years ago; followed by the loss of over 200 jobs when Winstone’s pulp and timber mills shut down late last year.  This region has taken a beating through no fault of their own!   Yesterday McNamara focused on the issues surrounding the majestic Chateau Tongariro Hotel, which has been sitting in a derelict state for two years. It's a sad sight at the base of Ruapehu. A desolate Chateau, the golf course overgrown, and empty buildings surrounding it. The area feels quietly paused in time, with no sense of if and when it may spring back to life.  Whakapapa Holdings Ltd, the company in the process of buying the Whakapapa Ski Field, is keen to discuss the future of the Chateau with government officials. They are interested in taking on the hi