An application to establish a sightseeing e-bike rental and food/coffee caravan on the Wanaka lakefront has been rejected by council staff, who believe the lakefront is at “commercial capacity”.LandEscape, which operates an e-bike and hot-tub tourism business on 115 hectares near Hāwea Flat, applied to the Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) for a licence to operate a mobile facility on the Roys Bay recreational reserve beside the Mt Aspiring Road car park.Active sightseeing proposalThe concept is to promote active sightseeing by e-bike. Initially it would use a mobile coffee caravan with outdoor seating as a focal point on the foreshore where e-bike test rides and safety briefings could occur. LandEscape already has 82 e-bikes designed for sightseeing, numerous spare batteries available from multiple locations for swapping, and a shuttle service to pick up and drop off visitors at their accommodation.LandEscape's YouMo e-bikes are especially designed for cruising and sightseeing. PHOTO: SuppliedLandEscape owner Rik Deaton acknowledged that “unfettered usage of the lakefront reserve by commercial interests” wasn’t desirable but is convinced his proposal, which is more than just a bike rental operation, would benefit the community.It is a comprehensive strategy to replace sightseeing visitors’ cars and motorhomes by providing “a viable and desirable alternative for sightseers”, he said, and is consistent with council’s stated objective to encourage active transport.“It [his proposal] is a synergistic, high-volume, electric bicycle operation...that puts our second transportation network (cycle trails) to work alongside our road system.”Seeking redress Rik took his concerns to the Wanaka Community Board (WCB) earlier this month (November 5), but was declined the opportunity to present his case during public forum by chair Barry Bruce, on the grounds Rik hadn’t pre-registered to speak and his statement would have exceeded the allocated three minute timeframe.Instead, Rik provided a written summary of his application to date, which indicated he had approached elected members at a WCB drop-in session in September 2019 and was advised of the possibility of a suitable site on the foreshore beside the new Mt Aspiring Road car park.A food trailer, similar to this Airstream, is considered the most likely option and it would be wrapped in LandEscape’s corporate artwork with e-bikes, hot tubs and Lake Hāwea and the mountains in the background. PHOTO: SuppliedOn the basis of this, LandEscape employed a professional planner and applied to the QLDC for the licence to operate on the Roys Bay foreshore. But Rik’s application wasn’t supported by council senior parks and reserves planner Aaron Burt.Lakefront at ‘commercial capacity’Aaron told the Wanaka App the location identified for the proposal, in the Roys Bay - Pembroke Park Open Space and Connection area, wasn’t suitable for commercial licences and “the LandEscape activity suggested would limit the ability of the public to enjoy the reserve in the area sought”.Aaron said council also had to consider the volume of proposals for the lakeshore reserves balanced against the popularity of those reserves for public/community recreational use and “the reality is that commercial concepts requiring a licence or lease are typically unsuccessful.” He said the council anticipated commercial activities on the CDB lakefront where they could be clustered to reduce the impact on the community's recreational use of the reserve. Both Paddle Wanaka and Lakeland Adventures have been issued commercial licences to operate on this portion of the recreational reserve.  In the case of Lakeland Adventures the licence to operate replaced its previous activity based at the log cabin (recently removed), and was appropriate in that location, Aaron said.The Lakeland Adventure’s licence was approved by the WCB in May. At the time, some WCB members and Wanaka-based councillors had concerns about the size of the operations but agreed that every effort should be made to support local businesses through the economic difficulties of COVID-19 and having a vibrant lakefront was important.Under the Reserves Act, the council must ensure the values of public reserves are not eroded by commercial use, Aaron said, and the CBD lakefront has reached “its commercial capacity”.Instead, Aaron recommended LandEscape “utilise commercial premises in the CBD to operate its business”.Next stepsRik said commercial premises in the CBD isn’t a practical solution for a number of reasons, including that e-bikes are bulky and the number required was too great for the limited space of a CDB shop, and no premises in the town centre included a space to safely provide riding tuition for uninitiated visitors.Not easily deterred, Rik has resubmitted LandEscape’s application for a licence to operate and said if the application is rebuffed once more council should “expect that decision to be challenged in court”.

Newly-appointed tourism minister Stuart Nash says he will be going back to Wellington to talk to other ministers about solutions for some of Queenstown Lakes’ current challenges. The minister, who replaced Kelvin Davis in the post-election cabinet reshuffle, was in Queenstown yesterday (Wednesday November 18) for talks with district mayor Jim Boult, the council's economic development team, and tourism industry leaders.Jim said he was "particularly pleased" the minister had chosen to come so soon after being appointed to the role.Stuart said he'd had a "very constructive conversation" with Jim about employers' struggles to find staff in the absence of people on working holiday visas. "I'm going to go back and talk to the minister for immigration and the minister of finance and other colleagues to outline a solution that I think, in the short-term any way, may alleviate a couple of problems the Queenstown [Lakes] district faces," he said.It was Stuart’s first visit to the district since his appointment as tourism minister.On Tuesday (November 17) Stuart addressed the Tourism Summit Aotearoa in Wellington and announced one of his goals is to ensure that New Zealanders no longer subsidise international visitors to the extent they have in the past. Asked today whether the district’s proposed bed tax could be a way to transfer the cost of tourism from communities to the tourists themselves, he said he had "a lot of thoughts" about that. "What I have done, two things, first of all the Tourism Futures Taskforce, which is made up of some incredibly knowledgeable and experienced people in the industry, they're going to give me a report in mid-December. "I'll take a good hard look at that, see what their recommendations are. "The other thing is I have asked my officials to be innovative in their recommendations to me about how we can better value the tourist experience that international tourists get when they come to this country." The visitor levy was on its way to parliament as a private members bill before being shelved when COVID-19 struck. Earlier in the day, Stuart had outlined plans to ban international tourists from hiring campervans which are not self-contained. Tourists defecating on the side of the road is not part of New Zealand's global brand, he said. "And I don't think they are the sort of tourists New Zealanders want to see in our country." He said New Zealand will welcome tourists from across the economic spectrum, but will target high spending visitors. "I think what we do as Kiwis, is we undervalue the offering we have. I'm not saying we're going to asset-test everyone who wants to buy a ticket to New Zealand, but what I am saying is if we're spending taxpayers' money marketing New Zealand . . . that spend should be targeted at the high-end tourists." He said New Zealand's global brand was at an all-time high due to prime minister Jacinda Ardern and the country's handling of the coronavirus, and plenty of people will want to come here once the borders reopen. PHOTOS: Queenstown App

Beauty entrepreneur Anna Ross has returned to her roots in Otago after 11 years abroad. The CEO and founder of ethical nail polish company Kester Black formed and grew her brand in Melbourne, Australia, but decided after more than a decade overseas it was time to come home.Her successful brand, launched in 2012, has earned countless awards.Anna said she had been wanting to return to New Zealand for a couple of years and after a long search, it was finding a reliable company for packaging and distribution was the final clincher.“That was really the last piece of the puzzle that allowed us to leave Australia and come back to New Zealand,” she said. Kester Black products are vegan, sustainable and cruelty-free, certified carbon neutral, B Corp certified. Plus, two per cent of all revenue is donated to social causes.Anna is now based in Hāwea Flat, and half of the Kester Black team has come to New Zealand with her: Anna and her husband are two of a small but efficient four-person team behind the company.Going remote has “really forced us to automate and streamline,” Anna said. Living back in New Zealand also gives the company boots on the ground to help grow the company’s following here, she said.After spending her childhood in Dunedin, Anna’s parents made the move to Hāwea Flat, and it was the obvious choice when deciding where to set up a new base.“Every time I’ve come home for the last ten years I’ve managed to come back here [to Hāwea Flat],” Anna said.“It is just breathtaking every time I look out the window. There’s something about the smell, I never get sick of the view, and I love the lake and the mountains.”But moving to the countryside hasn’t slowed down Anna’s life just yet. Business has been booming - up around 1000 per cent on last year - something Anna attributes to a phenomenon called ‘the lipstick effect’.“In times of recession, the sales of affordable luxury goods skyrocket,” Anna said. “Instead of buying handbags and shoes, people want to feel really good and they buy lipstick. It also applies to nail polish.”She’s wary though that Australia and New Zealand are in “a bit of a bubble”. Anna said when the recession hits at its hardest here the business will likely go one of two ways: the lipstick effect will either continue its upward trajectory or it will be the complete opposite and things will dial right down. But for now Anna is making time to get to know her new community. “I think it’s going to be a really easy place to meet people so I’m just throwing my hand up for everything at the moment,” she said. “It’s so nice to move home, especially to a smaller town where there is a real sense of community and people are welcoming.”Kester Black products are currently stocked at the Wonder Room in Wanaka, and online at the brand’s website here. LINK https://nz.kesterblack.com/ PHOTO: Supplied

Orchard manager Murray Booth says there needs to be change now – it’s not just about one tough season, it’s long term. Murray Booth manages both the 45-hectare Earnscleugh Orchard, and the 21-hectare Hollandia Orchard. He normally employs 50 or more RSE (Recognised Seasonal Employment) workers each season; he currently has six. Many of these RSE workers had become highly trained and highly productive over the past thirteen seasons.“We’ve got 40 Kiwis coming for work; no-one trained.“All these people need training, and fast, and there’s just me and six Vanuatuans.”Kiwis, he said, tended to view horticulture simply as a holiday money spinner.This meant training would become constant this year, if Kiwis did not stay on to develop a higher skill level. “They don’t know anything about apples, apart from buying them in the shop.”Everyone talks about the harvest, Murray said, but there was so much more.“If we don’t get trees thinned and they’re overloaded, we’ll have fruit you can’t pick. “Then the young trees don’t grow because they’re overloaded; it all has longer term impact, and that’s only one aspect.”Murray said they had started thinning early, knowing it would take longer this year.“We’re also mindful there’s cherry growers that will be screaming out for people come Christmas.“So we’ve only got till Christmas to get our work done.”“After Christmas there’s apricots, then apples, then there’s pruning.”“People could get work right through until May, if they want it.”“We’ve invested a lot of time and money into the trees to keep the fruit sound and the nutrition to the trees. “The wheel is turning, we can’t just stop, we have to keep going to get the fruit to market.”Murray said they had employed Kiwis previously, who did not see horticulture as a long term career choice. In the last few years there were few Kiwis as unemployment in Central Otago had been low.“We want Kiwis to realise there’s a lot of opportunity in the horticulture industry, it’s a good career choice, not just a holiday job.”“There’s plenty of jobs, permanent work with qualifications and a good future.”Murray said he worried about the RSE workers, who he come to know well over the years. He had been to the islands and knew their families.He said some had only been home a short time and wished they’d never left – they need the money.“Tourism’s their biggest earner, and there’s no cruise ships.“Their second biggest earner is RSE income, so that’s two main incomes gone, and self-sufficiency is their only option to survive without income.”“They don’t benefit from government aid pay-outs like they do with this work. “They take home skills that benefit their whole community, they build good fences, grow good food and provide for each other.”“Also, if it weren’t for the RSE workers, we wouldn’t have the new developments, we wouldn’t have seen the growth in our industry here.”Murray employs over 50 RSE workers each year.Murray said he sees the practical solution as a mix of both Kiwis and RSE workers.“We need young Kiwis coming through to develop skills, but we also need the highly experienced RSE workers.”“Their work output is tremendous.”“They want to do a good job, they’re serious about the work and have a good work ethic.”“If Kiwis learned to see horticulture as a serious career path, then opportunities would open up for them. It’s a cultural shift for Kiwis.”“When we got the first RSE workers in 2006, it was because we were having trouble with labour – it’s the same now, fourteen years on.”“We were trying to run a business, and we would be wondering each day who would turn up to do the work.”“Back then, Kiwis didn’t treat it like a real job – and they still don’t.”Murray said he had tried to employ Kiwis over the last few years as he developed new orchards, but for most, attitudes to horticulture as a career had not changed.“RSE workers are here because they want to be here."They take pride in their work, they know if they do a good job thinning, it will be better when they come to pick. If they look after the trees, there’ll be lots of work for everyone next season. "They look at the long term; plus they develop skills and knowledge that benefit their families.”“They’ve stayed long term, they get the seasonal cycle and see the impacts of the quality of their work; they understand.“If a Kiwi just stays a week, they don’t get that.“It wouldn’t work in other businesses, so why is it expected to work for us?”Murray said it was frustrating and stressful to have lost the majority of their skilled workers. “COVID hit at apple harvest, so we just haven’t stopped. We did it right and kept everybody safe in their bubbles, we got them home when they wanted to see their families; you go through all that – then this.“We’ve just got to keep smiling.”Murray hopes that Kiwis will shift their attitudes towards horticulture work.“This is a serious industry, it gives a serious contribution to the economy and contributes in a big way to our communities. “It’s a serious career and the knowledge is practical.”He called for the Government to recognise they need their men back, and they need them now - for this season, to set up for future seasons and to give time to train Kiwis.“Our foundations have gone.” “You can’t build new foundations overnight with new people – it’s just not possible.”IMAGES: Supplied

Wanaka power bills will rise, but not as much as they could have done: That’s the silver lining in the Commerce Commission’s draft decision on Aurora Energy’s proposed lines upgrade programme. The draft decision is a mixed bag for customers in Wanaka as well as the wider Otago region.The electrical lines company has historically under-invested in its network, causing deterioration costing hundreds of millions of dollars to rectify. It has proposed a steep hike in households’ power bills to help pay the investment bill.In its application to the commission the lines company sought average increases of $47.30 to Wanaka customers’ monthly power bills by 2023/2024. If that seems a higher figure than has been reported in the past, that’s because it is: Before being assessed, the commission had to adjust Aurora’s number to include relevant factors - like GST and inflation - which Aurora had neglected to include.After taking that into account, the commission found there was still plenty of room to cut the fat: Expenditure cuts could reduce that bill by $15.80 per household per month, taking it down to an average of $31.50.The commission proposes Aurora be allowed to recover a maximum spend of $523M over five years, close to $100M less than the $609M it requested.Aurora Energy CEO Richard Fletcher inherited a tough job when he joined the company in January 2018. PHOTO: SuppliedThe Wanaka figures, which also apply to Central Otago, are still significantly higher than the commission’s estimates for Dunedin and Queenstown households, which would pay an average of $22.20 and $22.70 by 2023/2024 respectively under the draft decision.Incremental bill increases could start as soon as April 2021, with the commission estimating line charges alone could rise between $3-13 per month for the majority of households across Otago. This would increase to between $20 to $73 per month by 2026. “While our draft decision would lower Aurora’s expenditure and substantially reduce the increase in lines charges compared to its plan, we expect the impact on electricity bills would still be significant,” Commerce Commission associate commissioner John Crawford said. “To help mitigate the bill shock, we have proposed to smooth Aurora’s revenue over the five-year… period. This would limit Aurora to increasing the maximum revenue it can collect from its customers by no more than ten per cent a year.”The commission acknowledged it has to strike a difficult balance between managing customer costs and funding the infrastructure upgrades needed.“We understand the disappointment and anger Aurora’s customers hold about the position the business is in,” John said. “Aurora has, nevertheless, made its case for urgent and ongoing investment to replace old and failing assets in its network.”Without the investment, John said, “the network will continue to deteriorate, safety incidents will increase, and its customers will experience more frequent, and longer, outages.”Under the package of proposed decisions, Aurora would also have to set targets for power outages and interruption levels that reflect its actual performance over the past five years; and face requirements to improve its transparency on how it delivers against its plan and how it reports on its service quality and pricing calculations.These were in part a response to customers’ lack of trust and confidence in Aurora delivering on its promises, the commission said.An alternative scenario to the ten per cent each year scenario which the commission said could be considered is to cap overall revenue increases at five per cent in the first year and then ten per cent for each of the next four years, he said. Aurora Energy said it would make a comment after it had worked through the 500-plus page draft decision.The commission will hold public meetings on the draft decision in Alexandra, Cromwell, Wanaka, Queenstown and Dunedin later this month. The Wanaka meeting will take place at the Lake Wanaka Centre on November 25, 10am-12pm.Submissions on the draft decision can be made before December 10. Read the Commerce Commission’s summary of decisions here or its full draft decision here.

Three new directors have been appointed to the Queenstown Airport Corporation (QAC) board of directors.The new directors, who were confirmed at the QAC’s annual general meeting on October 30, are Anne Urlwin (Wanaka), Andrew Blair (Arrowtown), and former Air New Zealand chief marketing officer Michael Tod (Auckland) - who was made redundant from Air NZ in May.Anne is a professional director with executive and governance experience across a range of sectors from energy, infrastructure, construction, IT, health and financial services. She is currently deputy chair of Southern Response Earthquake Services and the independent chair of Te Runanga o Ngai Tahu’s Audit & Risk Committee. The new directors were approved for appointment during a public-excluded session of October’s Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) full council meeting, with a shareholder resolution submitted to the AGM jointly with Auckland International Airport Ltd.The new directors replace Michael Stiassny and Norm Thompson, who both retired after serving on the board since 2014, and fill a gap presented by the resignation in July of former chair Prue Flacks.They bring “experience and knowledge of governance, finance and the airline industry, as well as local insight, to their positions”, the QAC said in a statement. Adrienne Young-Cooper, who was originally appointed in 2017, has been re-appointed for a further four-year term and remains board chair. Mark Thomson has also been re-appointed as the director nominated by Auckland International Airport Ltd.Queenstown Lakes District mayor Jim Boult thanked the outgoing members for their time on the board, saying this year “has been extremely challenging for anyone involved in the aviation industry”.“There are undoubtedly still challenging times ahead for the industry as we have yet to really grasp the full extent of COVID-19 on global travel and the world’s economy. Times like these need strong leadership and people with the skills, knowledge and experience to think innovatively and to make some difficult decisions,” he said.Queenstown Airport is a council-controlled trading organisation (CCTO) with two shareholders - Queenstown Lakes District Council (75.1 per cent) and Auckland Airport (24.9 per cent). It is managed by QAC and governed by a board of directors.PHOTO: Supplied

It’s been a year since SUCfree (Single Use Cup-free) Wanaka launched, and the project to rid Wanaka of single-use takeaway cups by 2022 is making good progress.Wanaka now has nine entirely single-use cup free cafes, 24 with a cup-lending scheme or ‘cup libraries’, and so far it has saved an estimated 180,000 single use cups from landfill in the first year. The annual Wanaka A&P Show will also be single-use cup free next year.SUCfree Wanaka member Chrissie Lahood described the group’s vision, which she hoped more individuals and cafes would support in its second year. “Imagine people talking about it, saying: ‘I’m visiting this cool little town and they don’t have any disposable cups at all’,” Chrissie said.Everyone buying coffee or hot drinks would instead sit in, bring their own cups, or make use of cup-lending schemes that would operate in every cafe. SUCfree Wanaka has already saved about 180,000 single use cups from landfill.“We want Wanaka people to get behind this vision,” she said.Research undertaken during Plastic Free July showed SUCfree Wanaka wasn’t as well known as members hoped.“We found out people hadn’t heard of it as a project: Too many people don’t know that we have got this vision to have a SUCfree Wanaka by 2022.”In its second year, Chrissie said the group also aimed for wider awareness of the harm of disposable cups.“There’s a lot of single-use cups now with misleading packaging. People think it’s compostable or it’s biodegradable, but there’s plastic in all of these cups - if there wasn’t plastic in them they would leak.”Without a commercial composting system, these cups - labelled biodegradable or not - all end up in landfill. SUCFree Wanaka was formed following the 2018 WAO (formerly One Wanaka) Summit.Chrissie said last Monday’s first birthday celebration was “small but meaningful”, with participating cafes and members reporting on their progress. Learn more about SUCfree Wanaka here.PHOTOS: Supplied

The Queenstown Airport Corporation (QAC) does not plan to pursue expansion of Wanaka Airport within the next three years, according to the corporation’s draft statement of intent (SOI).The revised SOI will be considered by the Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) during its monthly meeting this week (Thursday October 29).In April the QLDC accepted an interim SOI from the corporation, acknowledging that the SOI (which was written before the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic) did not reflect the current environment. The council gave QAC another six months to prepare a revised draft SOI.QAC deputy chair Adrienne Cooper said then the pandemic had led to QAC being a “significantly changed business” with much uncertainty in the short to medium term. The new SOI says COVID-19 has resulted in a reduction in passenger and aircraft movements to and from the region which is expected to last for some time. The sharp reduction in aircraft movements means QAC “will not apply to expand air noise boundaries at Queenstown Airport, nor progress plans to develop Wanaka Airport, over the period covered by this SOI”, the draft statement says.The QAC says it is not seeking to accommodate wide-body jet operations in the long-term planning for Wanaka Airport.While the QAC will not pursue any expansion at Wanaka Airport, the draft SOI notes: “...we do expect at some point in the future to resume the master planning process for Wanaka Airport and this will be signalled in a future statement of intent.”The SOI also clarifies that “QAC has not sought nor is it seeking going forward to accommodate wide-body jet operations in the long-term planning for Wanaka Airport”. The global shift caused by COVID-19 is a “unique opportunity” to reflect on the recent significant growth in the district and “come together and plan for sustainable infrastructure, including airport infrastructure”, the SOI says.What’s more, the QAC is encouraging QLDC to use the hiatus in international passenger volumes to complete the spatial plan for the district (which is intended to serve as the district’s future development strategy). That will enable QAC to form its long-term strategy, the SOI says.The draft SOI also notes that Christchurch International Airport Limited’s (CIAL) acquisition of 750ha of rural land in Tarras, intended for the development of a new wide-body jet capable international airport, will be considered as part of QAC’s “long-term planning work”.“The QAC board of directors is confident that the region is well served by its existing airports now and into the future,” the SOI says.Wanaka Stakeholders Group deputy chair Mark Sinclair told the Wanaka App: "This latest SOI addresses none of the key issues about Wanaka Airport and the approach it signals is still legally faulty. We're reserving further comment until the High Court judgement comes out sometime in the next few weeks."QAC’s business operations deliver an annual dividend paid to QLDC, which totalled $6.2M in 2019. QAC expects to pay a dividend of $8.295M for 2020 but no dividend at all in 2021 or 2022.PHOTOS: Supplied

A new online platform to help ensure seasonal and temporary workers in Otago find suitable and affordable accommodation will launch soon.Wanaka entrepreneur Carmen Blackler is the founder of The Workforce Accommodation Network (The WAN), a community-focused initiative connecting workers and local accommodation. “One of the things that is very important to me is that we look after the people that serve our community,” Carmen said. “The WAN would like to change the paradigm of accommodation from being just a commercial transaction to one of hospitality, care and reciprocity for all who contribute to our communities.”She said temporary and seasonal workers are important to the local economy but there are limited accommodation options for many of them. “They come in and help our businesses thrive but because they are often on minimum wage and here only temporarily the normal accommodation options do not work for them,” Carmen said. The WAN was initially due to launch only in Wanaka and the Queenstown Lakes district, but it has been extended to all of Otago because of the issues that orchards are facing for the upcoming harvest.Pointing to AirBnB and long-term rentals, Carmen said neither of those scenarios meet the needs of temporary workers.And while some workers, often young people or travellers, might be prepared to stay in a van or camping ground to save money, workers should have more options. The WAN will help to fill this gap by connecting people who have a spare room, sleepout or house with individuals (who must be verified by a local business to register) working in the local community.“In terms of the arrangement between the accommodation and the roomer, that is between them,” Carmen said. “It is our expectation that the accommodation would charge them some rent but we expect it would be relevant to what they earn.” Carmen said while the tourism industry had taken a big hit because of COVID-19, those workers will return, and there are lots of other people who continue to move to Otago temporarily.“The idea is still valid because we still have construction workers, relief teachers, orchard workers; there’s a real myriad of people.”Carmen, who has a background in engineering, dove into the topic of housing and temporary workers while studying for her Master’s thesis in Auckland. After much research and investigation, Carmen said it became clear that accommodation for seasonal and temporary workers was a significant problem that she was determined to solve.She also discovered through her research that connecting workers and accommodation has wide positive impacts.“These connections ensure well rested and cared for workers, which leads to increased productivity. Increased productivity helps local businesses prosper, which in turn benefits the whole community.”Carmen started building The WAN platform in May and plans to launch in December. Businesses, workers and accommodation providers can learn more about The WAN and register their interest here.PHOTO: Supplied

This summer will provide an opportunity to test theories about freedom camping and the strength of our domestic tourism economy, Lake Wanaka Tourism (LWT) chair Mat Woods says.Mat spoke to the Wanaka App following LWT’s recent annual general meeting, which had one of the largest voting turnouts on record with 68 voting members attending.“In [this] COVID year people’s businesses are suffering and people are really hurting,” Mat said. “The reality that operators now can see is that we have a domestic market only in front of us.”Local tourism operators have experienced that market during two lots of school holidays, and this Labour Weekend “will be interesting”, he said.“This is going to be an incredible summer as a litmus test to see how the domestic market goes. Operators are ready for summer and looking forward to it.”LWT chair Mat WoodsMat is predicting there may be more freedom camping than in previous years, and he is interested to find out whether people’s theories about bad behaviour from freedom campers will be born out while the borders are closed.LWT general manager Tim Barke and media and campaign manager Gizelle Regan talked about the challenges, and LWT’s work, during the past year. Never before have we had a situation where an entire industry has been shut down, effectively “overnight”, Tim said.After the alert level restrictions eased, in April LWT launched the Love Wanaka Supporting Local campaign to rally community support for local businesses and stimulate the local economy. Mat predicts there will be more freedom camping “than ever” this summer.In May it launched The Mountains Are Waiting campaign, marketing a “winter escape” to a domestic audience.The LWT team has also been working with iSite staff and operators to develop new products relevant to the domestic market, with a focus on a strong digital presence.In July LWT secured $700k from the Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment through the Strategic Tourism Asset Protection Plan (STAPP). The funding will be used for destination management and planning, and industry capacity.At the AGM a few changes were made to LWT’s lineup, with Mike Barton standing down after four years on the board, and three new faces added to the board: Mark Morrison, a previous LWT chair and owner of Wild Wire; Catherine Bone, Edgewater Hotel general manager; and Samantha Stout, a member of the newly formed Wanaka Wedding Collective.The full board is now Mat (Chair), Mark, Catherine, Samantha, Ramesh Swamy, and Andrea Kendrick.LWT’s core role is marketing, with the aim of building a high-quality destination brand identity, increasing visitor value, and spreading demand to reduce seasonality. Read LWT’s annual report here.PHOTOS: Wanaka App

Otago Regional Council (ORC) chair Andrew Noone says a report on climate change released on Thursday (October 15) is a “sobering reminder” that the issue is no longer just a distant threat.The Ministry of Environment’s ‘Our atmosphere and climate 2020’ report highlights the impact climate change is already having on New Zealand, including on temperatures and weather events, biodiversity, and natural hazard risks.“The evidence is clear: we are already feeling the impacts of climate change from greenhouse gases, and many of these impacts are likely to worsen in the decades ahead,” Andrew said.The council’s work on understanding and responding to climate change impacts has been fast-tracked in recent years, he said.“The Climate Change Risk Assessment for Otago is currently near completion. This is a wide-ranging assessment which is helping us to understand potential changes to the climate and related risks for the region. “Using that knowledge, we’ll work with councils, communities, iwi, experts and appropriate government agencies to plan for climate change,” Andrew said. There are other initiatives underway at the ORC, including updating infrastructure to prepare for more floods and higher sea levels. Learn more here.The Ministry of Education’s report paints a stark picture. It states: “The disturbance of climate change is not like the economic shocks or changes to our way of life that we may have experienced in the past. Even with no more carbon dioxide emissions, we will not go back to an undisturbed climate or even the climate we grew up with.”The release date of the report coincides with a Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) meeting where priorities and progress on the council’s Climate Action Plan (CAP) were shared. QLDC declared a climate and ecological emergency in June last year, the same day the draft CAP was released for public submissions. The final CAP was approved in March this year, with a goal of achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050 across the whole district.Since then, council has established an independent, multidisciplinary Climate Reference Group (CRG); created a system to monitor and evaluate QLDC’s emissions; and started measuring the district’s greenhouse gas emissions and forming an emissions reduction masterplan with science-based targets.“The highest priority will be finalising the emissions reduction masterplan and sequestration plan, and agreeing a target pathway to net zero emissions,” a QLDC report said.At the current rate, global average temperature is likely to be 1.5 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial level in the next 10 to 30 years, according to the Ministry for Environment report.Read read the full report here.

Queenstown-based tourism giant Wayfare has announced its new chief executive - Tourism New Zealand boss Stephen England-Hall.England-Hall is stepping down from the national tourism agency after three-and-a-half years to take up the role with Wayfare, which operates Real Journeys, Cardrona Alpine Resort, & Treble Cone skifields, Go Orange and the International Antarctic Centre in Christchurch.He'll begin early next year. Wayfare chair and Queenstown's mayor Jim Boult says the board is delighted with the appointment. "Mr England-Hall brings with him a wealth of tourism industry knowledge and deep understanding of both the domestic and international markets that will be invaluable in these extraordinary times."England-Hall says he’s excited to be joining Wayfare at such an important time."Tourism will play a crucial role in our nation’s recovery and future prosperity and I believe Wayfare can be a leader in making this happen."  England-Hall's previous roles include CE of Loyalty NZ, the company behind customer loyalty and data coalition Flybuys and the analytics business LAB360, as well as senior executive of leading international digital marketing data and technology companies. Queenstown's TSS Earnslaw, operated by Real Journeys. Photo: WayfareBoult says: "We are especially excited by Stephen’s expertise in the digital world. His hands-on experience in what it means to be a digitally enabled consumer business will be vital to the ‘new normal’ for Wayfare," says Boult.Richard Lauder, who oversaw the purchase of Cardona and other businesses for Real Journeys, before rebranding under the Wayfare umbrella organisation, quit in February, before Covid struck. Ian Jackson was his temporary replacement.The Wayfare group, in its original incarnation, was founded in 1954 by tourism and conservation pioneers Les and Olive Hutchins. 

Easing congestion on public footpaths, where pedestrians have to compete with outdoor tables and chairs, is one of several amendments revealed recently in an updated council policy. The council’s revised tables and chairs policy, which grants licences to businesses to occupy and use public land for their customers, might make it a little harder for some businesses to renew their licenses in the future but should prove beneficial for pedestrians.Concerns have been raised with the Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) about restaurants, bars and cafes utilising outdoor furniture and impeding other footpath users.Under the Tables and Chairs in Public Space Policy (2006), licences were issued if there was a minimum 1.5m width between the tables and chairs and the kerbside, allowing for unobstructed pedestrian movement, but under the revised 2020 policy this minimum width has been doubled to three metres. “It is essential that our primary thoroughfare areas flow well and aren’t congested,” QLDC councillor Quentin Smith said. “This is particularly important for wheelchair users, pushchairs and the increasing number of bikes and scooters that share these spaces.”  The 2020 policy, which was approved unanimously by elected members at last week’s council meeting (October 8), “doesn’t remove existing licenses but would make it harder for some business to get new licenses”, Quentin said.  The Doughbin Bakery was a recent example where seating had to be limited “but a balance was struck”, he said.  “But Big Fig and the Trout Bar are examples that would struggle under the new rule if they were a new license application,” Quentin said.  New table and chairs licenses would probably struggle on Helwick Street because of insufficient width.“Ultimately, if we want more outdoor seating we will need to build wider pavements.” Another significant change to the 2020 policy is the decision to remove the 10:00pm rule which was described by deputy mayor Calum Macleod as a “fractious issue”. A condition in the 2006 version did not permit alcohol to be served or consumed in leased table and chair areas after 10:00pm. Even though the business had a liquor licence and resource consent, after 10:00pm customers were required to move inside if they were drinking. The inconsistency between businesses which had outdoor seating on private land operating alongside businesses leasing public land was also causing conflict.Requiring responsible restaurant and bar staff to order their patrons inside at 10 o’clock caused “insane friction”, Calum said, and he applauded the recommendation to remove this condition. Licenced outdoor consumption of alcohol will now simply be addressed by Alcohol Licence and District Plan requirements.Businesses granted licences under the tables and chairs policy will now also have to abide by any future QLDC smokefree and vapefree policies. Currently, smoking is permitted outdoors but licence holders must manage the containment and disposal of cigarette butts. The policy will be next reviewed in 2023.PHOTO: Wanaka App

Property owners in Wanaka’s central business district (CBD) are calling for the council to urgently update the CBD’s flood response plan.During the public forum at last week’s (October 8) full council meeting in Wanaka, the Wanaka CBD property owners’ group chair Roger Gardiner was critical of the council’s lack of action regarding a plan to mitigate the impact of flood waters, such as those experienced last December.He said following the December floods, which closed many businesses in the CBD, Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) staff had promised a debrief and the update of a flood response plan, including an investigation by engineering staff into stormwater and sewerage infrastructure.“QLDC infrastructure personnel have basically been missing in action in our view,” he said.He said that the closure of central Wanaka businesses, some caused by the council shutting down the sewerage system amid concerns of contamination, gave the impression that the town itself was closed and caused business losses in excess of $100,000. RELATED:Local democracy under the spotlightAlmost ten months have passed since the floods and while the Otago civil defence and emergency management emergency staff initiated post-flood discussions they have neither the resources nor funding to take on flood mitigation, Roger said. “That’s the responsibility of [the QLDC] council,” he said.While there have been several meetings at the Wanaka Community Board level, “there appears to be no directive from council level that a flood response plan update has any urgency or priority”, Roger said.The sun came out but it took a long while for flood waters to recede, even at the Dinosaur Park. PHOTO: John Walker“I suggest if businesses had been closed as a result of flooding in the Queenstown waterfront there would have been action taken by now and I think council has dropped the ball in terms of following that up,” Roger told the elected members.He said business operators acknowledge that living at the edge of the lake runs the risk of occasional floods but it doesn’t mean “we shouldn’t look for a better way to reduce the impact of the floods”. Roger said discussions about amending the sandbagging protocols to keep the water from reaching the shops, ensuring the water pumps deployed were adequate to the task, and using non-return valves on the sewerage system might be fruitful and could keep the town centre accessible.These ideas might not be the solution, he said, but it’s essential council and locals understand what happened during the last flood and the mitigation measures required to better survive the next flood.“We’d like to see council do its utmost to ensure the CBD continues to operate as best it can [during a flood] and avoid business closures.”Roger said his group requests that the QLDC urgently undertakes a flood response debrief; allocates appropriate staff with resources to undertake research into improving infrastructure to mitigate the impact of floods; and commits to a timetable to get the work done.

Long standing international mountain guiding business Adventure Consultants has been pleasantly surprised by the number of Kiwis who have signed up for climbing expeditions and courses in New Zealand’s own backyard.Adventure Consultants general manager Suze Kelly said the business had shrunk by 90 per cent with the temporary loss of its international expeditions following COVID-19 restrictions.In response, the business has focused on its local and domestic tourism market, and created a range of new courses and expeditions.Adventure Consultants has been based in Wanaka for 24 years. The business was established by Rob Hall and Gary Ball in 1992, following their ascent of the Seven Summits in seven months in 1990.Guy Cotter guided on its first commercial expedition to Mt Everest in 1992, and he took over the business in 1996, after Rob died in a blizzard on Mt Everest. Gary had died earlier on Mt Dhaulagiri in 1993.“Before COVID probably 90 per cent of our trips and expeditions took place overseas,” Suze told the Wanaka App, adding the New Zealand operation of mountaineering courses, guided ascents, ski touring and ice climbing was about 10 per cent of the business.About 40 percent of that ten per cent were New Zealand clients, she estimated.Rope skills are on offer with a special local’s deal.“We were very unsure of how many New Zealanders would want to come on trips here,” she said.“We were really happy with how our winter went - it was about double what we were expecting. And we’ve been really nicely surprised with the number of New Zealanders who booked in for trips on the holidays.”The new trips created for local markets are generally shorter, and sometimes without a helicopter component in order to reduce prices. They included a backcountry avalanche course (“We ran heaps of those in winter,” Suze said), a busy ice climbing camp at Wye Creek (behind the Remarkables), ski touring trips at Mt Cook, and Geodome ski touring camps at Camp Creek, Lake Hāwea.The Geodomes make for comfortable camping.Looking toward summer, a lot of the courses are longer (seven, 10, and 12 days) which allows time for bad weather, Suze said.A new rope skills course is being offered as a locals’ deal. The three day technical rope skills is based at Wanaka’s crags, with a snow day nearby. “You learn heaps of rope skills,” Suze said, including industry standard skills for belaying, glacier travel skills, cliff and crevasse rescue. For the locals’ deal people can get a group of four together and pay $800 each. Find more information on the LoveWanaka page.And while the pre-COVID staff number of 16 (at the Wanaka HQ) has reduced, the business has been able to keep between six and eight locally based New Zealand guides busy.Adventure Consultants can help locals who have a goal to climb Mt Aspiring (the west face is pictured).“We’ve been able to provide quite a lot of work for them,” Suze said.She said the wage subsidies were helpful to keep people on as long as possible. “We’ve always been a big family. We’ve been doing as much as we can to keep them on and help them find what they’re going to do next. Most of our staff who have moved on have found other jobs.” The business has been fundraising for their sherpas in Nepal via a ‘Sherpa Future Fund’, “because they don’t have the same social services backup as we do”, Suze said. “We’ve had an amazing response from our international and local clients to that.” As for the future, Suze expects the business to remain focused domestically for another year.  “If things open up internationally for us that will be really helpful,” she said, adding the spring expedition climbing season in Nepal is April/May so they are hoping for more movement by then.“We don’t need to be able to go to those places ourselves - the guides might live elsewhere.”The business also has a film department which offers mountain safety and locations work worldwide.Meanwhile, Adventure Consultants is well equipped to help locals with a goal to climb Mt Aspiring or one of the many other peaks in our backyard.Find more information here.PHOTOS: Adventure Consultants

Only around 300 people turned up to look for work at a jobs expo in Queenstown on Saturday (11 October), despite the impact of Covid-19 on the region. Clutha District Mayor Bryan Cadogan organised the 'Jobbortunities' event as he recognised there were thousands of people struggling for work in Queenstown and many unfilled positions in South Otago. And there were plenty of opportunities for those willing to make the move. Forty employers from viticulture, horticulture, farming, meat processing and forestry set up stalls looking to fill positions. Otago University and various polytechs were also there, to provide info on study opportunities.Altogether, there were about 8000 opportunities. So, the numbers through the door were a little disappointing, Cadogan said, although employers had found the session very helpful."Having heard the numbers that were in Queenstown, I supposed we hoped it would be in the thousands", Cadogan said. "But we'll keep it positive. We're pleased with how it's gone. The employers have loaded up on names. They have lists of hundreds of names. "So, as we said at the start, everyone who gets a job from this today is a person who can move on with their lives."The first two 'Jobbortunities' events were held in Balclutha and the University of Otago, with 120 people turning up to the first, and around 400 students to the second.Liz Collins, HR advisor at Silver Fern Farms' Finegand plant, in Balclutha, said the Queenstown session had been "really valuable"."It's helped us get a clear regional picture and wider catchment. We've got almost 100 names already and two hours still to go.  "We've already started our meat season and we want to ramp up and increase our kill levels, but can't find the staff to process what we need." At peak, they have around 1300 staff and process 10,000 lambs a day and 800 beef cattle. But they're short of about 300 staff. "There's a lot of competition for staff, so we're very happy to pick up the numbers. Our wages are pretty good, well above average, but the problem is retention, especially with the commute."A butcher or boner could be earning about $80k a year, but competition from Dunedin's new hospital build and other projects means it's difficult to find staff to train. From left, Edwina Smith, Nicola Ford and Liz Collins from Finegand Silver Fern FarmsOn Friday, a visa information session was held in Queenstown for migrants. Cadogan said the session was overwhelmed, with people queuing out the door, but many went away disappointed, realising visa restrictions wouldn't allow them to take up new jobs.  "It was a concern to see the angst among the foreign nationals," Cadogan says. "To me, as an outsider looking in, there is no rhyme and reason. These people have been invited to our country ... some can stay, some can go, some burst into tears, some don't. "The idea they're taking jobs from Kiwis can't be right. The main thing I see is an imbalance between the work available and all these wonderful foreign nationals actively looking for work, but not allowed to take the opportunities."Amar Deep, 30, and wife Nethmi, attended Saturday's event. The couple, from Mumbai in India, have been in Queenstown for five-and-a-half years."I'm looking for work," he says. "I used to work for a hotel and my visa is kind of bound to that, but I lost my job in June, so it has been difficult. We're very thankful to Red Cross have helped us. "Hopefully once I get a job offer I can my visa." Amar Deep on the Mike Hurring Logging and Contracting simulatorNew Zealand's visa system is complex, but many employers are now calling for the restrictions to be relaxed.  Blair Mcnaughton, director of labour supply firm Remarkable Labour, told LWB last week that Queenstown itself needs about 300 workers to fill positions in the construction industry, while there are many jobs available in hospo. The roles are typically filled by the migrant workforce, but the borders are closed, New Zealand has paused on issuing working holiday visas, and many migrants are leaving or have left.Another employer at Saturday's session was Mike Hurring Logging and Contracting, which operates out of Balclutha but has the three-year contract for Coronet Peak forest.It has 52 staff, in eight crews around Otago.Josh Hurring says they're mainly looking for Kiwis or permanent residents, because so much training is needed for the role."Skilled staff is a problem. It's probably a minimum of six months to be trained in one aspect."Then there's different levels, machine operating, breaking up the hill."We're trying to change the perspective of it being dangerous. It did have a bad rap for a while, but now of 52 staff 50 will be in machines, in closed cabs, so that's improved everything."It's not a chainsaw and a dozer anymore, it's multi-million dollar machines."Hurring had a simulator at the event on the day.Both the Friday and Saturday sessions in Queenstown were funded through the Mayors' Task Force for Jobs Community.Cadogan says Community Recovery Programme coordinator Ruth Carraway will follow up on the scheme over the coming months, reaching out further into the community.Carraway says: "The people here today are the ones that are ready to work and don't have barriers, whereas the ones I'll grab hold of later might be the ones that don't have the motivation, don't believe their work ready and do have barriers."So, these employers can provide pastoral support, helping people get to work on time and change their lives."

It has been a good number of years since Wanaka hosted a wine and food festival but that’s set to change. Central Otago’s acclaimed wine and food will take centre stage in Wanaka next year with the launch of Ripe, a new festival for the region.Designed to celebrate the Central Otago viticulture industry and local culinary scene, Ripe will feature up to twenty wine producers plus a range of restaurant style vendors prepared to match their food with the wines. There will also be a couple of local microbrewers on hand for those who like the choice of a beer or non-alcoholic beverage. Otago Event Planning owner and Wanaka local Nathan White said the celebration of Central Otago’s wine and food is “long overdue” and he’s deliberately chosen Otago Anniversary weekend for the date. “There’s a need for Central Otago wineries to be the dedicated focus of their own annual event,” he said, “and the long weekend will attract people from around the region to come to Wanaka.”“The goal is to become one of the premium wine events in the country with people returning year on year.”“Ripe is about the passion and energy for the best wine and food of our region and our country,” Nathan said, “and we want to celebrate this while bringing a much-needed boost to the local economy.” Local cheese makers will feature at Ripe, together with vendors from local restaurants, such as Hook. Vineyards such as Maude, Amisfield, Māori Point, Ceres, Mishas and Akarua are among many of the Central Otago wineries who have already signed up for the festival, supported by food from the likes of The Stoaker Room and Hook, plus beers from Wanaka brewery bEffect.Attendees will not only be able to enjoy tastings but will also be able to purchase wines to take home at the end of the event.Corbridge Estate, near Wanaka Airport, was selected as the venue because its “unique setting will create a really memorable event,” Nathan said. In addition to its Woolshed venue, there’s also capacity for a large marquee, a stage and plenty of parking.Nathan said while the event’s niche market was aimed at 30 to 60-year-olds with an interest in good wine and food, there will also be musical entertainment and space for picnics for those wanting to bring the family.Ripe will also host celebrity chef Nadia Lim and live music from the Jordan Luck Band as part of the festival’s entertainment line-up. There will be only a limited number of tickets available for Nadia’s cooking demonstrations, however. More vineyards, producers, special guests and entertainers will be announced next month, Nathan said.“It’s baby steps for year one but we still want this first year to be amazing, the very best we can make it.”Tickets can be bought online here.Also available will be transport and accommodation packages for attendees not local to the district, and buses have been arranged for Wanaka, Queenstown, Cromwell and Alexandra for those who don’t want to drive.Ripe will be held at Corbridge Estate on Sunday, March 21 starting at 11:00am.  PHOTOS: Andy Woods Photography

The school holidays have once again brought visitors to Wanaka and many local businesses are hoping for a busy summer season after a difficult trading year. During the July school holidays many businesses told the Wanaka App they were far busier than expected, but things haven’t been quite as positive this time round.At Alchemy Cafe and Restaurant opposite the Wanaka lakefront, manager Toby Hansen told the Wanaka App that while there has been an uptick in customers it hasn’t compared to last school holidays, which were “really busy”.He said the wind and rain may have “scared some people off” this time round.But summer has the potential to bring more people through the door. “At the moment people can only holiday within New Zealand so I think that will bring a lot of people down to this area,” Toby said. Like many others, he hoped a bubble between Australia and New Zealand would be in place soon.Cardrona Alpine Resort general manager Bridget Legnavsky said one of the things the company had learned during this period of closed borders is how much money is usually spent overseas during holidays. It’s been a mixed bag at Cardrona Alpine Resort, with some days very busy and others quiet. PHOTO: CardronaKiwis visiting the skifield these holidays had arrived in “good numbers,” which she estimated was roughly a third each Aucklanders, locals, and other domestic travellers. While there had been some days with very big crowds - last Wednesday there were around 4,000 people on the mountain - she noted how variable it could be.“We’ve had some really busy days but it’s not consistent. That’s made it hard to manage and that’s something we’re going to have to get used to.” Low to mid range accommodation like Manuka Crescent Motel, which has 13 rooms, had done reasonably well with the frugal Kiwi market these holidays. Low to mid-end accommodation providers, like Manuka Crescent Motel, have had a good number of bookings these holidays. PHOTO: Supplied“Every day so far we have been almost full,” receptionist Eora Png said. “The school holidays have helped a lot and we’re looking forward to Christmas.” Wanaka Lakeview Holiday Park manager Natalie Ward said the park had fared pretty well, with a significant increase in Kiwis travelling by camper staying at the park. Higher end accommodation providers, like their counterparts in tourist ventures, have had more mixed results.Wanaka Lakeside Apartments manager Gary Christie said capacity was sitting at 40-45 per cent for October so far, when it’s normally at 80-85 per cent. After “quite a good” ski season things had slowed down but he was optimistic about the summer.“I think the next two months won’t be that wonderful but I’m confident that from January onwards we’ll start to pick up,” he said. The apartments were fully booked for Christmas and New Year. Gary is also hoping the trans-Tasman bubble will soon get the green light although, he said, he thought it would take some months before a bubble led to a significant increase in travel. “I don’t think we’re going to break any records for the next two years,” he said.

Wanaka has long been a popular wedding destination but wedding planning requires certainty and that’s been in short supply during the COVID-19 restrictions. To counter this, local operators in the wedding industry have joined forces to form the Wanaka Wedding Collective.Pre-COVID, over 1,400 weddings were held each year in the district, local wedding planner Samantha Stout estimates. “This thriving industry supported over 150 direct suppliers, 500 jobs, and boosted the local accommodation and hospitality industry in both summer and winter seasons,” she said, but moving in and out of COVID alert levels had caused a degree of hesitation in wedding planning for many people.The collective is applying innovative thinking to continue to market the local district to potential brides and grooms. “The power of our collective skills, passion and knowledge is immense. It seemed logical to take a proactive and joint approach to actively market Wanaka as a wedding destination in the near future and beyond,” Samantha said. The initiative is backed by Lake Wānaka Tourism and the Queenstown Lakes District Council, both of which acknowledge the significant contribution this industry brings to the region, Samantha said.“The new collective means planning and booking a wedding has never been easier or more integrated. Given we are long-time locals and very experienced at running weddings in our town, the change in the environment has just provided another opportunity for us to streamline how we work together and work with our clients.” Getting the suppliers around the table also means we can encourage one another to offer the most favourable COVID related postponement policies to ensure we are looking after our couples the best we can in these uncertain times.”The Wanaka Wedding Collective will host an annual wedding fair in Wanaka and this year things will be a little different, Samantha said. A digital wedding fair will be run online on Sunday October 25 to showcase all that the Wanaka wedding community has to offer. It will also feature a live broadcast from a small pop-up “wedding fair” at Rippon Vineyard which will be filmed from 10:00am to 11:00am and the live stream will remain on the collective’s website after the fair as an open digital event.The pop-up fair, which will operate from 11:00am-2:00pm, is open to the public and free of charge.Online registrations are available here.PHOTO: Supplied