The Hāwea Community Association (HCA) has been granted $8,000 to undertake its own masterplan from the Queenstown Lakes District (QLDC) Annual Plan process.

HCA chair Cherilyn Walthew told councillors at the Annual Plan submissions hearing last month that there had been “a tough relationship between Hāwea and the council over the past few years” and the HCA wanted to make it more constructive.

Cherilyn said the HCA has set up a task force to “do a bit of town planning ourselves”, which the association would use to show developers what the community wants.

“We’ve consistently been sending the same message on how we’d like to develop... But we’ve had to adjust to what developers are doing in the area,” she said.

The HCA has vigorously opposed the Longview Special Housing Area (SHA) approved by the government to the south of the HCA’s preferred urban boundary of Cemetery Road. A neighbouring development has also been approved.

In 2021 Cherliyn told the Wānaka App the HCA had “a total lack of trust” in the QLDC to plan for its future, citing concerns about infrastructure, including roading, three waters (wastewater, stormwater, drinking water), services, and facilities.

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HCA task force chair Cody Tucker told the Wānaka App the $8,000 project (the funding for which was granted last week at the QLDC’s end of financial year meeting last week) arose from a Shaping Our Future community workshop which produced a report outlining “the wants and needs of the community”.

Last year the HCA said it lacked trust in the QLDC and cited concerns about a range of infrastructure issues.

“It became quickly apparent that we needed to design a masterplan to ensure the growth of the township is well planned by the community, that ensures allocation of spaces that enrich community, like market squares and playgrounds, parks and sports fields, good biking tracks and adequate commercial facilities to name a few,” Cody said.

“This plan will also include schools, commercial development, a dog park, carbon farm, establish an aesthetic/feel for the town, address housing concerns, too many things to list.” 

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The funding would pay for “professional design time” from himself and local landscape architect Erica Gilchrist to design a masterplan, Cody said, which would “plan for the long term and inspire”. 

“There's a feeling that local residents feel disconnected with the development happening around them and the future outcomes for the community. We are aiming to design a hopeful future that strengthens the community as it grows, working with residents, local iwi and developers to build a better Hāwea.” 

QLDC spokesperson Sam White told the Wānaka App the council has supported similar community plans and workshops in the past.

“The development of local community plans present an important opportunity for communities to collaborate on a shared vision for the future of their place. This helps build community connectedness and resilience if done well…

“They are valuable documents and offer a great reference for council and the community although they do not hold any statutory weight.”

Sam noted that extensive community engagement was undertaken around the Spatial Plan with the Lake Hāwea community.

The HCA submission for the masterplan project noted the Hāwea community has a 2003 Community Plan; a 2015 update to that plan; output from QLDC workshops for the My Place and local Spatial Plan proposals; the November 2021 Shaping our Future workshop, and its subsequent online survey.

“The community led masterplan for Hāwea will capture and present all our aspirations, issues and suggested solutions and bring them together in a simple, easy to read and visual format for use by community members, community groups and decision makers,” the submission said.

Cherilyn told councillors last month the HCA also wanted to retain the QLDC’s $5,000 grant to community associations, but noted the grant had remained the same amount for the past 40 years.

PHOTOS: Wānaka App