A small North Island town is fighting the plan for a fast-food takeover - and it's shaping up to be a whopper of a battle.
Burger King and Starbucks are applying for consent to build two drive-thru restaurants on the main street of Tīrau, but some locals are finding the idea totally unpalatable.
The application is for a spot between Tīrau Primary School and the Tīrau Community Church on State Highway 1, the Waikato Times reported. The land is presently residential-zoned, so consent is required from the South Waikato District Council, which is taking submissions on it until Friday, July 26.
Geoff Poole has lived in the town for over 20 years and is leading the campaign to get the fast food outlets off the menu.
"Ten years ago, we decided in our long-term plan that Tīrau was going to stay a little rural town with specialist cafes and outlets. And we've managed to keep that until now, with the antiques and their curiosities," he told Checkpoint on Tuesday.
"Unfortunately, the big boys are wanting to come in and sort of put their mark on little Tīrau."
The closest things to fast food the small town have at present are a Subway and a Wild Bean Cafe. If the proposal goes ahead, the Burger King and Starbucks would be located just across the road from the Wild Bean Cafe.
"They're wanting to put the Starbucks in between the school - right next to the primary school - and the church where the old schoolhouse used to be, which is just absolutely ludicrous," Poole said.
"People need to write in submissions to oppose, if that's what they want. And most of the people that I've spoken to, probably 80 to 90 percent of the people have been opposed to having the big food chain and just because of the location.
"I mean, there's a reserve behind the schoolhouse where there's native bush, and it will be going from seven o'clock in the morning to two o'clock in the morning."
He said most of the local eateries had only just recovered from the shock of COVID-19.
"It would be quite a challenge for them as Starbucks is very convenient and people might want to just pull in and carry on - but Tīrau hasn't got that atmosphere. We want people to stop and have a rest and have a shop and then carry on their journey refreshed."
As for jobs, Poole believed having a Burger King and Starbucks in the town would result in a net loss.
"Yeah, it would bring in people, but as far as value and character to Tīrau, no, we don't think so at all."
The company that owns the New Zealand Starbucks chain purchased Burger King in 2020.
According to its website, the closest Starbucks stores to Tīrau are in Hamilton and Tauranga. Hamilton and Te Awamutu have the closest Burger King restaurants.
"If you want a smile and a chat and some nice food, you've got Alley Cats, you've got Poppys, you've got Enchanters," Poole said.
"You've got some wonderful cafes."
- RNZ
