The owners of a popular Wellington café are “devastated” after their landlords, Sir Peter Jackson and Dame Fran Walsh, ended their lease on Tuesday.
The Chocolate Fish Café has operated for 15 years at Shelly Bay under owners John and Penny Pennington.
Sir Peter Jackson and his partner Dame Fran Walsh bought the waterfront property in 2023 after a $500 million housing development was scrapped.
This week, the Penningtons were informed by a representative for Jackson and Walsh that their lease would end on January 31.
“This week, we were given the devastating blow, without warning… that they have decided to close our beloved café for good,” the café said on Facebook. “We don’t want to be forced to close. We don’t want to be shut down.”
Jackson and Walsh have invested heavily in the site since purchasing it two years ago and are understood to be planning further development, though details remain unclear.
Pennington told NZ Herald that the couple have long supported the café, and the news came as a shock.
“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 Facebook post said.
No alternative venue has been offered, and the 28 staff were informed of the closure this week.
Earlier this year, plans emerged for a museum, exhibition space and residential accommodation on the site. Yesterday, Jackson and Walsh also unveiled plans for a new specialist veterinary hospital in Miramar.