Wellington fatal hostel fire: What is Loafers Lodge?

Tuesday, 16 May 2023

The property at 160 Adelaide Road, Wellington, in 1993.

The Loafers Lodge building, scene of a fatal fire in Wellington on Tuesday, has been a bank, a church, and most recently, cheap accommodation for those from myriad walks of life.

There were about 94 people in the hostel at the time of the fire. Follow our live updates on the tragedy here.

Housing Minister Megan Wood said that Loafers Lodge had passed an inspection early this year, and that it met the requirements of the Building Act, including that there was a standalone fire alarm system.

Karen Hocking, the Ministry for Social Development’s Group General Manager Housing, said the lodge was not currently used as a supplier of emergency housing, but some of the people who lived there had received financial assistance from the ministry.

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Multiple people have died in the blaze at Loafers Lodge on Adelaide Rd in Newtown.

The Lodge has featured in three recent Tenancy Tribunal decisions.

In January last year Loafers Lodge Ltd was ordered to refund a tenant the $140.44 he had paid in bond. The tenant had been given a week’s notice to leave his room after he complained about fleas.

The tribunal found the notice was a breach of Residential Tenancies Act 1986 and had been issued as a means of retaliation. The lodge manager apologised for her actions.

In January this year a former tenant was ordered to pay the Lodge $432.94 on top of his bond of $720 for rent arrears and damage he caused to a mattress.

In August last year another former tenant was ordered to pay $170 on top of his bond of $1080 after he was found to have stolen a multibox from the lodge worth $1,500.

It was built in 1971 as a multi-storey office and warehouse building. Originally known as Mertex House, it housed a branch of the Bank of New South Wales (later Westpac) on the ground floor. Its upper floors were used as offices by the Wellington Hospital Board.

Loafers Lodge in 2010 after an upgrade. (File photo)

The property at 160 Adelaide Rd as it appeared in 1992

In 1982 the Wellington Indian Association was granted consent to establish a place of assembly on the top two floors. Two years later the Assembly of God moved in, after being granted consent to convert the top three floors into a multi-purpose place of assembly including a 300 to 500 person auditorium, a creche and committee rooms.

Around this time it was known as Lifepoint Building. By 1993 the ground floor was still occupied by the bank, the first floor was the church auditorium, the second floor was church offices and the top floor was vacant. Wellington City Council files reveal that around this time the top floor was occupied by Polytech students and single church members.

The property at 160 Adelaide Road, then known as Mertex House, in 1982

In 1993 the Assembly of God was granted consent to convert part of third floor into 4-bedroom flat, and major alterations were made to the building in the late 1990s.

The property was purchased by Rehslew Investments Ltd in 2005. It was transferred to an associated company, Loafers Lodge Ltd., in 2013.

Loafers Lodge has run out of the building since 2006. The building as 94 rooms on four levels.

The property is owned by Rehslew Investments Ltd. In 2008 the company was offering a 50% share in the property for about $4.4 million, and would consider selling out entirely for $8.7 million.

At that stage single rooms were available for $165 a week and double rooms varied between $200 and $240 a week. Room rates included all power, water, gas and heating.

The lodge was upgraded with new bedrooms, bathrooms and other amenities later in 2008, at which stage it was said to have a projected net annual rental income of more than $783,000 based on five months trading after the upgrade.

In 2011 one floor of the building was used to accommodate families visiting whānau at Wellington Hospital, while Ronald McDonald House was closed.

Loafers Lodge Ltd still owns the property. The company’s sole shareholder is the estate of Christopher J Stevenson. Stevenson, of Porirua, died in 2021.

The company’s sole director is Gregory Mein.

Mein said the fire was “an absolute tragedy and my thoughts go to the families of those affected”.

“At the moment it’s all with police and the fire service and people like that, who are in charge and have taken control of the building and until such time as I’ve had a talk with them, or a briefing from them I don’t know more. I haven’t had any interaction with them yet, but no doubt it will come as the day gets older,” Mein said.