SHOT DOWN

Peter Thiel’s Planned New Zealand Mega-Estate Hits Big Snag

The billionaire PayPal founder has been seeking approval for a luxury oasis on his 477-acre South Island property.

It was a cake walk for Peter Thiel to secure New Zealand citizenship in 2011, even though he had spent just 12 days in the country over the preceding five years. (Typical applicants must have spent 1,350.) Now, with aspirations of building a 477-acre mega-estate on the South Island, authorities aren’t making things so easy.

On Tuesday local time, Queenstown Lakes District senior planner Sarah Gathercole dropped a 978-report on his proposed ten-bedroom oasis, which reportedly would include a “meditation pod, library, theater lounge and spa rooms.”

Citing “adverse effects” on the local environment, she recommended that the billionaire’s plan be shot down.

A final decision will be made following a hearing later this month.

The proposal had faced opposition from the outset. As Julian Haworth, an official at the Upper Clutha Environmental Society, previously told CNBC, “The society has no problem with the applicant building a large but carefully located residence on the site but the scale of development proposed is outrageous.”

Thiel, 54, had purchased the 477-acre farm in 2015. His plans for the property remained a mystery until his proposal was released last fall, which included room for two dozen guests and 15 staff members. The roofs were set to be covered with plants in order to blend with the surrounding hillsides.

Despite those efforts, Gathercole was not persuaded. “Whilst some positive effects will result from the proposal, I consider it does not constitute a positive (enough) effect on the environment to entirely offset or compensate for the adverse effects,” she wrote.

It was not immediately clear what steps Thiel might take to lobby the broader council prior to the hearing on May 23.

Worth an estimated $5 billion, Thiel’s main residence is in Los Angeles, according to Forbes. He has been a constant fixture in American headlines of late, following his decision to step down this year from the board of Facebook’s parent company, Meta, in order to focus on advancing conservative candidates in the 2022 midterm elections.

He spent $10 million to back his former acolyte J.D. Vance’s Ohio Senate bid last year, following up with another $3.5 million in April after the venture capitalist secured an endorsement from former President Donald Trump.

Six months out from election day, it has already been a noisy campaign season. Perhaps all the more reason the multibillionaire is eager for a tranquil New Zealand escape.

See more of our coverage in your search results.

ADD THE DAILY BEAST ON GOOGLE

Noah KirschWealth and Power Reporter

Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here.