Whopper battle: The town weighing up Burger King and Starbucks

Famously dubbed the 'Corrugated Capital of the World', Tīrau is known for its large, corrugated iron animals, boutique cafes and small-town charm.

But in the North Island town a David and Goliath battle is brewing, with a proposal for a Burger King and a Starbucks on the main drag.

Many locals are against the fast food takeover, saying it will ruin the town's character and take away vital business.

The small town of about 800 people lies about 50km south of Hamilton. A giant corrugated iron dog, shepherd and sheep greet you as you drive in.

Barring a Subway and a Wild Bean Cafe, there is very little when it comes to fast food.

But an application from Burger King and Starbucks to build two drive-through restaurants along the main street could change that.

The application to the South Waikato District Council was made late last year to demolish the existing houses on Main Road and build the two drive-through restaurants, which would open at 5am and close at 2am, seven days a week.

Geoff Poole has lived in Tīrau for over 20 years and said people are worried the character of their town could be jeopardised by the corporate giants.

"I mean, you can go anywhere in the world to have a Burger King, but you've got to come to Tīrau to have Tīrau."

The proposed site for the two drive-through restaurants is sandwiched between Tīrau Primary School and the Tīrau Community Church.

It is just across the road from the BP Wild Bean Cafe and a stone's throw from the other local cafes.

That was a concern for Cafe 20 Nine owner Raj Singh.

"It will be just another Covid for us, yeah. Everyone's so scared.

"This little town is full of cafes, and we've got nice antique shops, and it will all be changed with all those big fishes coming in here."

Ninety-five percent of Cafe 20 Nine's business was from travellers driving through.

"This is the first town when you come out of Auckland where you have to slow down to 50kph.

"Actually, from Wellsford to here, there's no other place, so there's not many places like this left."

While it has been suggested the two restaurants could provide jobs for locals, Singh said he had been struggling to fill multiple vacancies for up to a year.

To fill the gaps, he was travelling 140km each day from his home in Pukekohe.

That was costing him up to $160 in petrol every three days, so he could work in the cafe to keep it open because he could not find local staff.

Down the road at the Cabbage Tree Cafe, manager Paul Andugula was echoing this concern.

"I have been here for seven years, so we've been struggling to get the staff in [from] the locals. Most of our chefs and our other staff, they are not locals at all."

On the town's main street there were mixed feelings about the fast-food giants possibly moving in.

One person told RNZ the two restaurants were not needed in Tīrau: "Tīrau's pretty much known for - you know, its little cafes and its nice atmosphere."

Another local said he did not think it would make much difference if the two restaurants came to town: "There's already Subway there, so maybe it would fit in."

Another woman who has lived in the town for 40 years said in 2010 the then-mayor had promised that Tīrau would keep its village vibe and uniqueness.

"Burger King and Starbucks coming here is going to totally destroy that, you know. Not in our town."

Others were worried about more traffic.

"During the summer, the traffic is backed back 5km up the road, and adding Burger King and Starbucks to it will just worsen the traffic problems at that end of town."

While there is no shortage of cafes in Tīrau, after 4pm most of them had shut up shop, leaving just a fish and chip shop, The Black Oven pizza restaurant, and Subway, which all closed between 8 and 9pm and were not open seven days a week.

Local resident of almost 40 years Christina Phillips worked at the local Fonterra Factory and said having a Burger King or Starbucks open from 5am to 2am would provide a vital late night option for hungry shift workers.

"You know, if you're travelling through Tīrau around four or five or six o'clock, it's a good food option and drink option and it would be marvellous for shift workers to have the availability of food while they're on shift, to be able to just pop down and grab it without going to the other towns."

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.

Residents have until Friday 26 July to make a submission to the South Waikato District Council.

The South Waikato District Council told Checkpoint it was unable to comment on the matter until the submissions process was complete.

Checkpoint has approached Burger King and Starbucks for comment.

In Wānaka submissions were rolling in on a resource consent applicaton to build the town's only McDonald's

A petition, with 5500 signatures, was calling for Queenstown Lakes District Council to stop the fast-food giant going up just off the State Highway 6 and State Highway 84 roundabout.

However, the council said it would not be swayed by the petition.

Wānaka Chamber of Commerce general manager Glenn Peat had been gauging the opinions of his members.

"It's very split, I mean from a business perspective, obviously there needs to be an element of equal opportunity, but at the same time there needs to be a balance with whether we actually need a McDonald's."

Peat said a lot of the public submissions were against the McDonald's. "For a number of reasons yes, rubbish is part of it, but that's not the only thing.

"It's also looking at where it's positioned... some people are saying it's an outstanding natural landscape... is that really what we want for Wānaka as you drive in."

When asked by Checkpoint whether the pending decision could set a precedent Peat admitted it could. "It's inevitable that there could be more of this you know whether it be KFC, Pizza Hut, whatever it might be coming to a town.

"But oppositely and equally, if it doesn't go their way... where does it stop."