Mossburn locals are excited with plans to rebuild the Mossburn Diner, demolished by fire in July last year.

The Mossburn Diner, which doubled as a convenience store, was a local institution in the town. 

It has been owned by members of the Kweon family for 15 years. The fire was caused by an electrical fault.

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William Kweon confirmed ProSpec Structures Ltd had been working on a design for the new diner, which would be similar to, but larger than, the former building.

He hopes it will be completed later in the year, once building consent has been approved.

“I don’t mind it taking longer if we do it properly,” Kweon said.

Director at ProSpec Structures Nathan Stewart said he had approached Kweon about building a new diner for him after reading online that the beloved diner had suddenly burned down. 

He said he was thrilled to win the contract to build the new and improved diner, as the old diner had been such a loved staple in the Mossburn community for many years. 

“I used to go through Mossburn a lot for work… and I took my family there,” he said. 

Stewart said the project was expected to be completed by mid-2021 and would cost close to $1 million from start to finish. 

An artist's impression of what the dining area of the new Mossburn Diner might look like. IMAGE: ProSpec Structures

The new diner will be nearly double the size of the old building, which Stewart said was needed to deal with influxes of tourists during peak season. 

“You could hardly get in the door [of the old diner], there were that many tourist buses there,” he said. 

“The chiller systems are going to be quite a lot bigger… it’s almost going to become a convenience store at the same time,” he said. 

Southland district councillor John Douglas said the project was great news.

“From a community point of view, wearing my councillor hat and my community hat, we are delighted it is going to be rebuilt. It is going to be a really important development in the community,” Mr Douglas said. 

Mossburn tractor driver and fireman Dave Beattie has also supported Kweon and his family through the aftermath of the fire and coordinating the rebuild.

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“They are really nice people. They are part of the community. They have been here for a long time,” Beattie said.

“Everyone is hanging out because our closest shop is in Lumsden. Just to get a bottle of milk or some smokes or something, you have to drive 20 minutes to get it,” he said.

Kweon lost his entire business in the fire and has spent the last six months gardening, exercising and working on his house while the insurance claims were processed.

“I have been really busy,” he said.

Kweon said the Mossburn community had been very supportive, as the Covid-19 downturn had made things very tough. He had not been working in another job.

“It has been good. In New Zealand, it is okay. Mentally, it has been very tough,” he said.