The Grand Plan

Turning one of New Zealand’s oldest hotels, the rundown Provincial Hotel circa 1865, into a state-of-the-art gastro pub, a la Gordon Ramsay. 750sq metres, $5 million, and a core team of four driving the project.

They’ve got a protection order and centuries of New Zealand heritage to work with and a definitive if generous budget to work to. All the ingredients for captivating television are there: budget over-runs, building disasters, and staffing issues run alongside demolition and restoration, design decisions and implementation, menu experimentation and wine selection. Not to mention the 7.1 earthquake that puts everything on hold until engineers, architects and insurance agents agree on what needs to be done, and whose going to pay for it. The building has to be made safe before restoration work can even begin.

Paua Productions Ltd is producing a 10 part documentary series filming the transformation of this now run down, abandoned old building into a family business: a beautifully restored heritage building housing a gastro-pub renowned for quality produce, gourmet food, and impeccable service.