The Wānaka Upper Clutha Community Board’s (WUCCB) first ‘Share with us’ session at the Dinosaur Park on Wednesday (February 15) led to productive conversations with a range of community members, WUCCB chair Simon Telfer said.

‘Share with us’ is a redesign of the old drop-in sessions, which historically have taken place in locations that can be inconvenient or hard to reach for busy locals.

The new format has the same goal - to provide a chance for locals to share their ideas, concerns and concerns with board members in-person - but they will take place in different locations around the Upper Clutha, to broaden the cross-section of residents who participate.

Last week’s ‘Share with us’ was timed to coincide with a pop-up Summerdaze event.

“It got to a part of the community that aren’t going to take half an hour out of their day to come to visit to talk to us,” Simon said. 

He said he spoke with around 20 people - mostly parents - who shared concerns from the lack of safe crossings between Pembroke Park and the lakefront to big issues like housing affordability.

Councillor Cody Tucker, who also took part in ‘Share with us’, said people had told him it was “a much nicer environment to interact, not being locked away inside”.

WUCCB member Linda Joll said it provided her with an opportunity to speak with a range of people and she liked the relaxed atmosphere.

“To have it in a more public space and allow people to come and go was a good vibe,” she said.

‘Share with us’ sessions will be held every four to six weeks going forward, next taking place at the Wānaka A&P Show (March 10-11).

Locations and times will be shared on the Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) Facebook page and website.

“People can also look out for posters around town which have a QR code you can scan on your phone to receive email updates in advance,” Simon said.

PHOTO: Wānaka App