03 November 2023 , 14:28
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TV presenter Noel Edmonds has left his neighbours in New Zealand infuriated after being accused of "colonising" their idyllic village.
The 74 year old star, best known for presenting shows including Deal or No Deal and Noel's House Party, moved to New Zealand back in 2019 with his wife and decided to purchase £15million worth of property and a pub which he has called The B*gger Inn – which serves a selection of 'lewd' sounding drinks.
The small contained village is home to just 2,500 people who appreciate the quiet village for its scenery, but Noel has been accused of 'taking over' after being granted permission to snap up 12 houses and build a restaurant, shop and a coffee house on his River Haven estate.
Noel Edmonds has been accused of 'colonising' an idyllic village with £15m estate
Noel Edmonds built a pub in the village called The Bugger Inn and has a larger called Tits UpAccording to the TV personality, he believes that he is doing his best to ingratiate himself into the community by making donations to the area.
He recently spent £3,000 on the village school's bill for traffic management. But his attempts have done little to ease the tension he has created among his neighbour, according to sources. Speaking to a New Zealand website called Stuff, one village resident said: "I feel like he's a coloniser. He's come in like [he's] the lord of the manor. He's got this attitude about how he's improved the place and made it amazing - it was already amazing."
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And others spoke out against his "flashy" fleet of 4x4 cars which include a Land Rover complete with a PA system for blasting out music, lights and sirens. Meanwhile others pointed out their concern over a breach of privacy as Noel has placed security cameras at the entrance of one of his properties. In an attempt to add a sense of British humour into the community, Noel named his pub The B*gger Inn and his drinks add another dimension of comedy value. Customers are able to buy a Dickens cider and a T*ts Up larger.
Noel had a career revival with Deal or No Deal - but has since left the UK for New Zealand (© Sam Frost / UNP 01274 412222)Oblivious to complaints, on Noel's River Haven website it says:"Fact: Kiwis love traditional Irish and English pubs. Apparently the only reason Kiwis travel to Europe is to see old architecture and visit a pub or work in it. Well, have we got exciting news for you guys. When our construction team were digging the foundations for the new Health Club they unearthed an original pub. Established in 1642 the pub, which had no name, was popular with local residents and early tourists."
He added: "Indeed, we found a photograph of Abel Tasman leaning on the bar enjoying a pint of ale with some of the locals. Supported by archaeologists, historians, know-alls and general busy bodies our team have restored the old building and relocated it alongside the Clubhouse Restaurant. It was quite a tight fit and when Bert said 'we'll never get the bugger in' we decided that's its new name. So, Ngatimoti now has its own traditional pub – The Bugger Inn."
Noel has previously said that he understood why some locals may have been in doubt over him at first. He once told Stuff: "I totally sympathise with the suspicion. When people are ignorant they become more suspicious. We tried to just tread gently, I'm sure we upset some people, I'm sure there are people... who are still upset – nothing deliberate, we've tried to listen. I'm here ato give, to make a difference. My love has always been the environment, the countryside. I haven't just been buying property for the sake of it."