Locals gathered at the Omakau Commercial Hotel last weekend for a private function that marked the 128th anniversary of the historic building, offering the community a rare glimpse inside the pub as it edges closer to reopening its doors. Owner Shane Norton addressed guests at the site, confirming the bar and kitchen were on track to be open and operating by the end of the month, though the accommodation side of the historic pub would take longer to bring back to a fully functional establishment. It has been a long, gruelling process for the site, with a 15-month journey to reach this point, after years of uncertainty for the 128-year-old Central Otago landmark, which had been closed for the past three years. Mr Norton, though thrilled with this next promising stage, said he’ll be “a lot happier when we are finally open”. The path to get here has been anything but smooth sailing. Mr Norton’s bid to take the historic pub previously stalled, with concerns raised over the building’s insurability and water damage threatening to derail the deal altogether. Mr Norton said that years of uncertainty had understandably left the community wary of further developments. “This community has had to deal with a lot of ifs and when’s, so are rightly apprehensive.” Despite the wariness, support for the project had been building for some time. In July, locals filled the hotel’s carpark on a Sunday with just an hour’s notice, helping demonstrate to Central Otago District Council that the site had sufficient parking to meet liquor license requirements and firm community backing. Central Otago MP Mark Patterson, who attended last weekend’s celebration, said it was a “great, rural community story” in a Facebook post following the event. He said having the historic pub “restored and reopening” after three years closed would give the town a social hub and meeting place. He pointed to a broader trend of rural pubs reopening across the region, and the community value of these sites, along with a substantial lift in farm incomes, increase of tourist numbers and in Omakau’s case, the prospect of Santana Minerals Limited gold mine opening nearby, all “substantial influences” he said. It isn’t Mr Norton’s first venture into community revival projects. A local radio personality, with a long career in hospitality, including running venues around the country and working with major global brands, he said he was drawn to backing struggling local institutions. “I feel compelled to make a difference in the communities I live in,” he said. “Whether it’s resurrecting Radio Central or the Cromwell Football Club, I just see opportunities and go for it, and knew if it wasn’t me saving the Commercial, it mightn’t be anyone, and what a travesty that would have been.” Mr Norton said the scale of the Omakau project extended well beyond the pub itself, with plans for buildings and land around it still taking shape. “It is a huge project, so if there’s anyone who’d like to come along for the ride, get in touch.”
