The Wānaka Upper Clutha Community Board (WUCCB) is determined not to “kick the can down the road” on a number of long-standing local issues, including lakefront development, revitalisation of the town centre, more sports fields, and a performing arts facility.

Members of the board presented their priorities for 2026 to Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) staff at a workshop last week (Tuesday December 9).

Board chair Simon Telfer said one of the board’s “top projects” is the upgrade of down-town Wānaka.

This follows “thousands of volunteer hours” by the community-led Heart of Wānaka plan, and years of work by Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) on a masterplan for the CBD.

Read more: Heart of Wānaka group hands over ‘living document’

“This community is not kicking that can down the road any longer,” Simon said.

“We want to invest in the town centre for future generations.”

The board also highlighted the need for progress on the remaining stages of the Lakefront Development Plan, including a new jetty and a clearer path from the McDougal Street toilets and carpark through to Stoney Creek.

Simon said the board was starting to “chunk projects down” to make them more achievable.

The Wānaka Upper Clutha Community Board.

Active transport is also a priority, he said.

“Town is expanding and we want to make sure the network expands with it,” he said.

The development of more sports fields was also highlighted. The half hockey field sized multi-use turf at Wānaka Recreation Centre is able to be utilised for some games, but is not suitable for full sized football, hockey or rugby games.

Council is currently planning for a sports hub at 101 Ballantyne Road, and a range of community and sporting activities and facilities has been proposed for the site.

Read more: Land marked for sports fields subject to High Court case

Other priorities for the board include the Wānaka Airport Future Review, progress towards a performing arts facility, a parking management strategy, and a community park for Lake Hāwea’s Timsfield subdivision.

Progress on an upgrade for the CBD, including a parking management strategy, is on the list of priority projects. 

Running throughout the discussion was the role of the Wānaka Asset Sales Reserve (WASR), a financial reserve established from the sale of land at Scurr Heights in 2016. 

The reserve is intended to deliver enduring community benefits and contribute to legacy projects for the Wānaka-Upper Clutha Ward. 

Since its inception there has been debate over which projects should be funded from the WASR, and how much say the Wānaka community should get in how the money should be spent.

Simon made it clear the board would identify what projects it considered were an appropriate use for the fund, and deputy mayor Quentin Smith made a plea that council "stop squeezing the same lemon harder and harder, which is us - the ratepayer”.

In 2025 this year the QLDC approved guidelines for the WASR’s use, which currently stands at $4,823,079. 

QLDC staff will update the board at its meeting this week (Tuesday December 16) with an updated balance following the recent sale of council-owned Ironside Drive property. 

PHOTOS: Wānaka App