The need to ‘reinvigorate’ the Wānaka Community Board (WCB) is back in the public spotlight.

The future of the WCB came into question last year when an independent representation review advisory group recommended its disestablishment.

While Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) initially supported the group’s recommendation, councillors were convinced by strong public feedback which asked to retain the board.

However, the board needed to become more effective, councillors said, some of whom called it  “effectively inactive” and questioned whether it “was effective enough to justify the resources and funding that council puts to it”. 

Councillor and board member Niamh Shaw brought up the topic at last week’s WCB meeting, almost six months after the decision to retain the board was made, and she urged the board to take measurable action. 

“There are a number of things we could be doing,” Niamh said. “We’ve got an obligation, I feel, to put a structure to the WCB that is going to be sustainable and work into the future.”

“What I would like to see is a report on what we are doing to retain and empower the community board as members…and also report back to the community on what we are doing ourselves to make the community board as relevant as it can possibly be.”

Niamh’s comments did not receive a response from any board members during the meeting, and WCB chair Barry Bruce did not directly respond to the Wānaka App’s question about Niamh’s suggestion to include updates in each meeting’s chair’s report. 

During the representation review process two key WCB issues were highlighted by council as needing improvement: council and executive management needed to support and empower the board with appropriate business, and the board needed to demand attention and undertake work on its own programme.

WCB members Chris Hadfield and Ed Taylor both said they had noticed a significant improvement in communication from council and in efforts to keep the WCB ‘in the loop’ on issues which are relevant to the board.

QLDC media and channels advisor Sam White told the Wānaka App there are ongoing meetings and briefings between staff and the board to ensure the board remains informed on key issues, and council staff also coordinates and promotes the WCB’s drop-in sessions.

He also said the WCB “already has a broad range of delegations, powers to act, powers to recommend etc”. 

Aside from the improvements with council staff, Ed said there probably hadn’t been as much progress with the WCB “as we would have liked”.

Ed would like to see WCB members take on the role of “champions” for different projects: “This way we could get more stuff done.”

“Members have different areas of interest and it’s easier to focus on one or two main projects to see them through than trying to be over every aspect of council work in the Wānaka ward,” Ed told the Wānaka App.

Chris said he was happy with the improved communication; fellow WCB member Jude Battson did not respond to a request for comment; and Barry said “considerable work” had been undertaken to review the WCB’s Governance Protocol Statement - a document which lists best practice protocols for the board. 

Barry also said a review of the board’s delegations were due to be carried out and pointed to progress on the lakefront development plan and the approval of the Hāwea Domain management plan as examples of some of the board’s successes.

He said a “substantial increase” in the minor improvements budget would “enable WCB to get more small projects over the line”.

Sam said two new full-time roles which QLDC is currently advertising will assist the board into the future. 

A community associations relationships manager role has been created to improve community representation, support effective community project management and build community connection and local resilience,

The second role, a governance team leader, “will pick up the responsibility for supporting the board in fully enacting these and helping empower members on actions such as making submissions on key plans and strategies – both from council and other organisations – to reflect the views of the Upper Clutha community,” Sam said.

The decision to retain the WCB was made by councillors in September 2021.

PHOTO: QLDC