A Hokitika woman charged with lighting the fire that burned down part of the old Seaview Hospital site last month appeared in the Greymouth District Court this week over the alleged arson.
The 42-year-old was granted interim name suppression until her next appearance on October 15, when she is expected to enter a plea.
Lawyer George Linder said the short remand was sought in order to finish a legal aid application.
One of the accused woman’s bail conditions is not to be found on the Seaview grounds, where the massive blaze on August 10 devastated the abandoned Kotuku Hostel.
Police arrested the accused more than a month later on September 17 after executing a search warrant at a Hokitika address.
Detective Sergeant Graham Parsons, of Greymouth CIB, said at the time first responders initially feared a person might have been inside the building at the time the fire was lit.
‘‘We had real fears for the welfare of that person, and resources had to be diverted until, thankfully, we were able to establish nobody was inside.’’
He acknowledged the assistance provided by members of the public during police inquiries.
The old hostel is the property of Seaview Terrace Estate Ltd, now trading as Seaview Lodge.
It was one of several buildings slated for demolition under future plans to redevelop the hilltop site, once home to the Seaview psychiatric hospital and originally built for inmates of the original Hokitika jail.
The 43ha property was sold to the late Christchurch developer Keith Mackay and three others by the government in 2002 for less than $1 million.
Five years later, it was back on the market with a combined capital and a land value of $6.4m.
It includes several old hospital villas, staff houses, the Seaview Community Hall and the Chapel of the Holy Spirit.
The privately owned Seaview Lodge and Backpackers — originally the administration block at Seaview Hospital — was closed in March last year.
In 2024 the Guardian reported Mr Mackay was co-developing a staged 250-lot development on the Seaview site with Maugers Mining Ltd.
The company has links to Christchurch Mayor Phil Mauger, although he is no longer a director.
Earthworks began in 2023 to clear up a large area behind the community hall.
Maugers Mining owned 50% of the area under development at the time.
By Janna SHerman
