As the dust settles on the recent local body elections it seems like a good time to pause and reflect on what may have been a significant moment; a turning point when the Upper Clutha found its collective voice and signalled a willingness to use it.

First, my congratulations to all of the successful candidates, including our new and returning Wānaka-Upper Clutha ward councillors: our new Mayor John Glover, Deputy Mayor Quentin Smith and Mayor Tamah Alley in Central Otago. I admire your commitment to serving our community. You are the essential heart of our democracy.

What stood out to me in the QLDC election was the incredible turnout in the Wānaka-Clutha ward. 22% more votes were cast in the race for the four Wānaka-Upper Clutha vacancies than last time around. In fact, half of all ward votes cast across all three wards were in Wānaka-Upper Clutha.

Whichever way you look at it, the Wānaka community is becoming more influential. I suspect that reflects something that’s been brewing for a while now. We have a clear sense of our identity and the number of residents motivated to vote and be heard is a clear signal that Wānaka-Upper Clutha wants to have a fair share of voice in shaping our future. 

Wānaka is already growing at a faster rate than Queenstown. Infometrics’ data shows it grew 4.6% p.a. over the past five years vs 1.2% p.a. for New Zealand overall. One in three QLDC residents now lives in Wānaka and the gap between the two continues to close. The reality is that Wānaka and Upper Clutha have an abundance of flat developable land and fewer of the challenges facing Queenstown, so we can expect demand to continue. 

Growth brings challenges, but they are challenges for us all to grapple with. Growth isn't a problem specific to Queenstown; it’s an issue for our whole region. We need to wrestle with it in a way that will leave all of our communities better; with services, protections and opportunities for everyone. 

The people have spoken, we now have an important opportunity to do the best by our whole region, and lift all of our communities up in the process.