As the annual scramble for winter accommodation looms, a handful of initiatives are popping up to try to find ways to house the influx of workers due to arrive for the ski season. 

Home & Co property management company director Colleen Topping told the Wānaka App each winter feels “a bit like groundhog day”.

It’s the same old problem - not enough rental properties available and a big influx of people.

“We have had about 10 percent more properties to rent this winter which is good, but demand seems to have increased disproportionately so we are no better off than previous years,” she said. 

Snow Farm has asked members of the community to consider housing a staff member this winter, an initiative which has been run before by organisations like the (now shuttered) Workforce Accommodation Network (WAN).

Cardrona and Treble Cone will repeat a successful initiative from last year - providing accommodation for staff in a former backpackers, The Bothy 2, which last year housed around 13 percent of its workforce.

For winter 2022 Cardrona and Treble Cone teamed up with Wānaka Backpackers Bothy to deliver the accommodation offering. 

“This year, we decided to take on the lease of this accommodation ourselves and have spent the last few months upgrading furniture and making the place a really nice home for our staff for the season,” Cardrona and Treble Cone experiences general manager Laura Hedley told the Wānaka App. 

“We will have around 115 people living here through the season. Of course, this is just a part of our overall staff numbers and while it takes some pressure off the accommodation issues in town, there is still a shortage of houses.”

She said, like Snow Farm, Cardrona and Treble Cone were also appealing directly to the community for properties or rooms, and exploring other avenues like liaising with rental companies. 

Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) recently released its Joint Housing Action Plan (JHAP), which is designed to help improve housing affordability and supply in the region, but is there anything QLDC can do in time for winter? 

QLDC’s communications team said it couldn’t share anything at this stage, but mayor Glyn Lewers hinted at possible initiatives in a seminar on the JHAP last week.

“I can tell you now that the staff here have been trying very hard to provide some help and assistance… Even putting in some simple things out there takes a lot of effort and a lot of planning in the background,” Glyn said. 

“It hasn’t gone as easily as we had hoped for. It’s not just the people that are looking for accommodation we’ve got to care for, it’s also our staff and the interests of the ratepayer as well. 

“So we’re still working on that and hopefully we can provide some more resources and assistance in that area.”

Wānaka’s ski season is set to kick off shortly, with Cardrona’s opening date currently set for June 17; Treble Cone’s a week later on June 24; and Snow Farm on June 30.

PHOTO: Wānaka App