New World Victoria Park fire first anniversary: Foodstuffs breaks silence on action

Today, Foodstuffs said: “Planning and design work for the rebuild of New World Victoria Park has reached an important milestone, with concept designs now complete and the project moving into its next phase.”

The team are now back on-site undertaking preliminary works and preparing for construction to begin, subject to the necessary consents being approved.

These activities will help ensure the project is ready to progress once approvals are in place, the statement said.

Extensive work was undertaken behind the scenes to make the site safe, complete demolition works, progress detailed planning and advance the design of the new store.

“The project team has now completed the concept design phase and is progressing structural engineering and detailed interior design work ahead of the next stage of construction.”

In March this year, an Auckland Council spokeswoman said that despite it being nine months since the blaze, no rebuild application consent was sought at that stage.

Residents of Freemans Bay, Ponsonby, Herne Bay and St Marys Bay have fumed about the dead site at 2 College Hill.

Extensive fire damage to the New World Victoria Park supermarket, pictured on August 13 last year. Photo / Annaleise Shortland

They contacted the Herald demanding to know about progress, one claiming it must be the council that was causing delays. That was not the case, as the council pointed out, because no consents were applied for nine months post-fire.

New World Pt Chevalier: Shop here, Foodstuffs has advised locals who previously bought their groceries at the fire-damaged store. Photo / Jason Dorday

Foodstuffs has referred customers to the newly-built, $73 million New World Pt Chevalier, which is 2700sq m.

But the shoppers say that is some distance from where they live and they now lack a larger store like their old one.

Their closest alternative is the far smaller $30m Woolworths Metro Herne Bay, they say.

Work being carried out on August 14 at the fire-damaged New World Victoria Park, College Hill. The Auckland supermarket caught on fire on June 17 last year. Photo / Carson Bluck

The official investigation into the fire found the fire alarm system did not activate automatically and “may not have functioned as designed”.

The report by Fire and Emergency New Zealand specialist investigator Colin Paul Melville redacted the fire cause and declared it was accidental.

“Information available at the time of investigation would suggest that the system may not have functioned as designed and had been isolated pre-incident,” his report said of the alarm.

Instead of the alarm going off automatically, a manual fire activation was received on June 17.

Last July, Foodstuffs retail and property general manager Lindsay Rowles said the store would not reopen for about two years – not until 2027.

Complete demolition of the building was not envisaged. Instead, the existing three-level store at 2 College Hill, Freemans Bay could possibly be repaired, Rowles said at the time.

Last December, he was announced as the new Mitre 10 chief executive, based at Albany.

Last year, Rowles said that of the 189 staff who worked at New World Victoria Park, more than 100 had met with owner/operators of 23 other stores and been offered new jobs.

“Over 100 of those have already engaged in employment in our stores. It’s been great to see how the co-op pulls together and looks after its own,” he said last year.

An artist’s impression of the new building at New World Victoria Park once work is complete. Photo / Michael Craig

In December, Foodstuffs said the site had been reduced to its suspended floor slab and underground carpark, allowing design work to progress.

“The aim is to reopen a store that reflects contemporary retail design while keeping the essence of the previous store, which was well regarded by people living and working in the area,” it said.

Steve Purton of New World Victoria Park, Auckland. Photo / Foodstuffs

Owner/operator Steve Purton today said the past year had been one of the most challenging periods of his career.

“It’s hard to believe it’s been a year since the fire. Like many people in the community, I still remember the fire alarm sounding and realising the store we’d built over many years was in trouble.

“The past 12 months have been tough for our team, our customers and everyone connected to the store. But it’s also been a year that has shown just how much New World Victoria Park means to people. The support we’ve received from customers, neighbouring businesses, the wider co-operative and the local community has been overwhelming.

“While there is still a lot of work ahead, reaching the concept design milestone is a significant step forward. It’s exciting to now be able to see the future shape of the store and start bringing that vision to life.”

The co-op was committed to creating a modern, sustainable supermarket that serves this community for many years to come.

“We know people are eager to see us back, and we’re looking forward to the day we can welcome customers through the doors again.”

The new supermarket would largely retain the existing footprint, helping streamline construction and supporting an earlier reopening, while delivering modern, efficient and future-focused shopping.

The project team was also continuing to work towards delivering a Green Star-accredited supermarket, reflecting a commitment to sustainable building practices and store operations.

From next week, contractors would return to site to complete the final demolition works, clearing the way for main structural works to begin from August.

Further updates on the rebuild would be shared as the project progresses.

New World Victoria Park

2 College Hill, Freemans BayThree-level buildingHad undercroft carparkingNZ’s most valuable New World189 staff worked thereOwner/operator: Steve Purton$28m renovation/upgrade in progress when fire struckMost valuable New World upgradeBurnt: June 17, 2025Shut since, while locals fumeInvestigation found alarm didn’t automatically activate

Anne Gibson has been the Herald’s property editor for 26 years, written books and covered property extensively here and overseas.

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