The overview of an “audacious” 50 year masterplan was presented for community discussion by the Hāwea Community Association (HCA) yesterday (Sunday August 28).

The HCA requested funding for a masterplan as part of the Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) Annual Plan process. 

HCA chair Cherilyn Walthew told councillors at the Annual Plan submissions hearing 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.

Read more: Council funds Hāwea to undertake its own ‘masterplan’

Shaping Our Future’s John Glover, who facilitated yesterday’s session, told participants “the community is always reacting to growth but can never get ahead of it”.

The steering group has identified protected zones and zones available for development. IMAGE: Supplied

The HCA’s new approach was to “be audacious” by planning 50 years ahead, he said.

HCA masterplan steering group member Erica Gilchrist said the 50 year time frame “was really freeing”, and had meant the group could include everyone’s ideas.

The first phase of community consultation had already identified a range of “values and visions”: Protecting the environment, retaining equity and inclusivity, enriching community and connection, celebrating our culture, creating resilience and independence, and improving quality of life. 

Steering group chair Cody Tucker outlined a range of proposed projects which reflected those values. 

These included new proposals such as an amphitheatre, a market square, tiny house village, retirement village, dark sky reserve, and utilising part of the floodplain as a carbon farm.

Space was identified for a second school for the Hāwea area and also a potential secondary school (despite the Ministry of Education’s recent announcement it planned to relocate the existing primary school at Hāwea Flat to Lake Hāwea, with no plans for any other schools).

Read more: Hāwea residents preparing to fight for school

The group saw the Hāwea Domain, which lies between the two settlements of Lake Hāwea and Hāwea Flat, as being a potential “heart of Hāwea”. The Domain is the site of the Hāwea Food Forest, for which the masterplan proposes more investment. 

Quentin Smith, Colleen Carr (HCA), and Simon Telfer at the planning session. PHOTO: Wānaka App

The HCA masterplan steering group identified land in the district that was protected (including outstanding natural landscape and rural character land); areas appropriate for agriculture; floodplains and areas with poor soil; and areas able to be developed.

Transport, potential housing development, and other future needs were overlaid.

Hāwea resident Jacob told the Wānaka App he attended the session because he was excited about the potential of developments underway, “and to see the community have some kind of voice collectively”.

QLDC Wānaka Ward councillor Quentin Smith told the Wānaka App it was important such planning be community led.

“It will be interesting to test these assumptions about the amount of land required for growth,” he said.

Wānaka Upper Clutha Community Board aspiring candidate Simon Telfer, who also attended, said the plan and process was a great start.

“It’s community led, ambitious and contemporary,” he said.

Cherilyn said the next step for the master plan was for the HCA to seek an agreed process forward from the QLDC and developers, “one that is underpinned by genuine community-led consultation”.