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

A collective of individuals, businesses and community groups have come together with the goal of championing Wanaka’s creative sector with a weekend of events at ‘Toi’ (October 17 – 18).Toi will feature two days of workshops, exhibitions, and performance immediately following the Three Lakes Cultural Trust’s inaugural RenewArt event, and just before the WAO Reset Summit.Wanaka’s design scene is fast building a reputation as a creative hub, Ignite Wanaka executive officer Naomi Lindsay said.“This initiative will further strengthen this growing reputation and shine a light on the incredible talent and businesses we have within the community,” Naomi said. During the weekend people will be able to drop in on local creatives, including artist Jane Sinclair and jewellery designer Alice Herald, and learn about their work; there will also be live music at Buskers Square, among other activities.“Great design not only solves problems, but also creates new opportunities,” said Monique Kelly, co-founder of Revology - one of the businesses involved in Toi.The Māori word 'toi' often translates as knowledge, skill, excellence, source, origin, or mastery.“We are inviting the community and our visitors to come and check out the world-class talent we have right here in Wanaka,” Lake Wanaka Tourism marketing executive Nicola King said.There is an incredible cross-section of artists and designers, from photographers, interior, graphic, jewellery, through to fashion, taking part in the inaugural event, she said. Nicola encouraged people to come along and hear their stories, check out their stores, or get involved with one of the many workshops being held.Information about the programme can be found here.The Toi collective is made up of representatives from Lake Wanaka Tourism, LINK, 3 Lakes Cultural Trust, Festival of Colour, Ignite Wanaka Chamber of Commerce, and Wanaka design retailers.PHOTO: Supplied

Kia Kaha Queenstown Lakes workshops start this month, offering free sessions with job-related advice for community members to attend in both Wanaka and Queenstown.The workshops will provide accurate, independent information and advice regarding current job opportunities in the district, business support, retraining and career advice, together with income support options, the Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) said.QLDC Kia Kaha organiser Marie Day said the reintroduction of the workshops was an important step towards the district's recovery from COVID-19. A number of residents are looking for new work or how to understand what support is available to them right now, she said."Whether people are looking for a new job, or wondering about a career change or new study and looking for advice on how they should proceed, Kia Kaha Queenstown Lakes workshops can help them take their next step," Marie said."Workshops are also available for business owners looking to understand what services and financial products are available to help support their business and staff."Workshops begin in Queenstown today (Monday October 5) and in Wanaka from next Monday (October 12). All sessions are free to attend and require registration. A timetable and more information is available here.Kia Kaha also coincides with a Jobbortunities event - billed as 'speed-dating for jobs' - which is being delivered by the Clutha District Council mayor's taskforce for jobs. Jobbortunities has thousands of vacancies to fill with companies including Fonterra, Danone and Silver Fern Farms.There is a free bus available to take Wanaka residents to the Jobbortunities event, which is being held from 10:00am-3:00pm on Saturday October 10, at the Queenstown Memorial Centre. To register for the bus, click here.There is also an immigration and visa advice event being held at the Queenstown Memorial Centre a day earlier, on Friday October 9, from 10:00am- 3:00pm. No registration is required to attend either the immigration and visa advice event or Jobbortunities.PHOTO: Supplied

An application to build houses on over half a hectare of land on the western lower slopes of Mt Iron, beneath the walking track, is attracting a lot of attention.Allenby Farms, which owns the 6974m2 lot, has submitted an application for a six lot subdivision with access off Rob Roy Lane. The land is currently zoned low density (suburban) residential, which allows this development, but the Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) plans to rezone most of this area to rural, aligning it with an Environment Court decision regarding Mt Iron as an Outstanding Natural Feature (ONF). The QLDC confirmed in a statement to the Wanaka App: “That zoning remains in place until it is formally changed through a variation to the proposed district plan.”   However, given the high level of public importance placed on Mt Iron and the Environment Court’s decision, the QLDC decided the Allenby Farms application should be publicly notified. A group of Rob Roy Lane residents has opposed the application, saying development on this site would be “grossly inappropriate”. “The Resource Management Act identifies the protection of outstanding natural features and landscapes from inappropriate subdivision, use, and development as matters of national importance,” spokesperson Tony Marsh said.The proposed development area and ONF boundary. IMAGE: SuppliedHe said the proposed development would involve earthworks and removal of vegetation up to 30 metres above the existing houses on the side of Mt Iron, with negative effects on the view of Mt Iron and on the natural environment.“The view to Mt Iron which has been largely unchanged for the last 10 to 15 years will be irrevocably altered,” he said.“We urge anyone in the community who shares our concern at further intrusion into the Mt Iron ONF to take the opportunity to make a submission,” he said.The importance of an Outstanding Natural Feature (ONF)Mt Iron, a glacial rock formation, is a defining feature in Wanaka’s landscape and notable for its indigenous biodiversity of kānuka woodland and its popular walking track. Large parts of the landform are identified as an ONF and as Significant Natural Areas (SNAs) in the Proposed District Plan (PDP), however residential building has been permitted on its northern and western slopes. Much of the lower slopes used to be owned and farmed under the name Allenby Farms but over the years have become residential suburbs.In September 2019, the Environment Court deemed Mt Iron to be an ONF, allowing it protection from development which required the QLDC to reassess its zoning. Last month a QLDC planning and strategy committee agreed the parcel of land owned by Allenby Farms should be rezoned as rural land as a variation to the proposed district plan. It also recommended Wanaka’s Urban Growth Boundary should be amended to match the Mt Iron ONF line.The variation would accurately identify land that is part of the ONF as Rural Zone, to achieve better alignment between the ONF, Significant Natural Areas (SNA) and zoning at Mt Iron ONF, the council report said. Timing for undertaking the variation has not yet been confirmed, but the council’s Planning and Strategy Committee recommended the zoning variation be endorsed by the full council meeting next week (Thursday October 8). Public SubmissionsThe Upper Clutha Environmental Society (UCES) has also opposed the application, saying: “the visual effects, amenity effects, effects on natural landscape values and cumulative effects of the development proposed, in the highly sensitive location it is proposed to be located within” will be significant and adverse.The UCES said development has changed the character of Mt Iron. “Far too much development has been consented to on Mount Iron and Little Mount Iron in the past and this application represents yet another inappropriate intrusion into the landscape in this vicinity,” the UCES submission said.Public submissions are open until October 8.

Lake Wanaka Tourism (LWT) has given its seal of approval to a new government package which will help tourism businesses with training and tools for digital commerce. The $20M digital capability funding includes $10M for small-medium enterprises, $5M to boost digital capability in the tourism sector and $5M for Qualmark to help operators develop strategies and skills.A recent analysis of 700 tourism businesses found more than half needed support with digital capability, tourism minister Kelvin Davis said.“In the past, many smaller tourism businesses haven’t had to invest in strong digital marketing to find customers, because of the volume of international visitors and the role of travel agents and tour operators to bring people to their door,” he said. “Tourism businesses are now pivoting towards the intrepid domestic traveller who likes to shop around online and book their own holiday.”LWT media and campaign manager Gizelle Regan said the package addressed issues also identified in an LWT survey. It found ‘understanding and adapting marketing to a domestic only market’ and ‘opportunities to inform marketing plans and online selling tools’ as key areas of need among the 128 local business respondents.Gizelle said in the post-COVID environment businesses need a competitive edge and strengthening their digital presence can help achieve that. “An effective digital marketing strategy delivers new customers, which can be converted to more business and also helps to create and strengthen customer loyalty for the brand,” she said.The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment is currently engaging with potential private sector providers to deliver the small business digital capability package, and more information will be available at the business.govt.nz website in the coming weeks.In the meantime, expert advice (to the value of $5,000) is currently available here through the COVID-19 Business Advisory Regional Business Fund to support business recovery and growth, and Qualmark funding is available to help tourism operators to develop digital strategies and skills, with more information available here.PHOTO: Wanaka App

Some local tourism operators have written to the Tourism Industry Authority and Ministry of Business, Innovation and employment (MBIE) complaining about elements of the government’s Strategic Assets Protection Programme (STAPP).While STAPP, created to protect New Zealand’s core tourism assets, has been a lifeline for some businesses, concerns have been raised about the eligibility criteria, application process, and whether the distribution of the $400M fund has been equitable.A local tourism operator, who wished to remain anonymous, told the Wanaka App they were misled by the early allocation of STAPP funding to large operators, such as Queenstown’s AJ Hackett Bungy which controversially received $5.1M.“...this gave us the strong impression that the funding was not for smaller businesses and hence not worth us applying for, which unfortunately for us and many other tourism operators who thought the same was an incorrect assumption,” they said.The operator said the short timeframe to apply (from June 4 to June 18) also made it difficult for small operators with few or no staff to assist with the application process. Businesses were also meant to show they had explored all avenues of alternative funding, such as bank loans, which was difficult to do in such a short timeframe, they said.Tim Barke said some eligible operators did not realise they met the funding criteria. PHOTO: SuppliedWanaka businesses aren’t the only ones with concerns: More than 20 tourism companies around the country who missed out on funding are considering seeking a judicial review of MBIE’s funding process.Radio New Zealand reported last week that the STAPP fund was nearly abandoned after MBIE struggled to properly assess applicants. Recently released ministerial briefing documents show MBIE officials also urged against capped grants of up to $500,000, citing concerns it would “create perverse outcomes”.Lake Wanaka Tourism general manager Tim Barke told the Wanaka App the STAPP funding was put together as a rapid response to help the tourism industry survive, and “as with any emergency response, more is often learned over time as to how it could be improved and I believe this is the current situation”.“...either there was a misunderstanding of the criteria or the criteria changed without people realising,” he said.Patsy Nolan of Backcountry Helicopters said the STAPP funding will help the business focus on the domestic market, offer access options into Aspiring National Park, and keep their crew employed. PHOTO: Backcountry HelicoptersA number of Wanaka operators have been grateful for the STAPP boost.To date the following local operators have been granted STAPP funding: Alpine Helicopters & Southern Lakes Heliski - $500,000; Backcountry Helicopters - $500,000; Puzzling World - $500,000; Southern Alps Air Ltd - $500,000; Wanaka River Journeys - $215,101; and Wilkin River Jets - $500,000.Backcountry Helicopters and Wilkin River Jets are owned by Harvey Hutton and his partner Patsy Nolan, who told the Wanaka App they were “thrilled” to get the funding.“Both businesses, as was the wider tourism industry in Makarora, were hit hard due to the borders being closed,” Patsy said. “The funding will enable us to focus on the domestic market, and continue to offer access options into the national park, while keeping our crew in employment.”An MBIE spokesperson told the Wanaka App MBIE has received around 80 queries, including OIA requests, on the STAPP process.She defended the funding process, saying information about the application process was provided, and contact details were listed for businesses which needed more information.As the economic conditions and realities changed (for example, the anticipated trans-Tasman or Pacific bubble hasn’t eventuated, the wage subsidy has been extended, and domestic tourism has been stronger than expected in many parts of the country), the support offered also changed, she said.“While the operating environment has changed, the process of determining successful STAPP applicants did not change. STAPP applications were based on a high trust model,” she said. “The assessment criteria was the same for all applicants in the round. Applications were assessed, peer reviewed and moderated according to the criteria laid out on the MBIE website.” MBIE assessed the applications in consultation with a range of government departments, including the Treasury, and the tourism recovery ministers group reviewed the advice MBIE provided and made the decisions, she said.

A judicial review against Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) and Queenstown Airport Corporation (QAC) began in Queenstown yesterday (Monday September 21).The review was launched by the Wanaka Stakeholders Group (WSG), which represents more than 3,000 Upper Clutha residents. They signalled the action in August 2019, saying various agreements between QLDC and QAC in relation to Wanaka Airport are unlawful - including the 100-year lease to QAC.The WSG opened with its submissions yesterday. Julian Miles QC said the issue was the biggest this community has faced in a very long time, and the QLDC's and QAC's plans "impact on every element that makes Wanaka what it is... and are of enormous importance".WSG chair Michael Ross said the group’s legal team had spent “hundreds of hours” during the last year preparing for the case, and the group was pleased to have the opportunity to put its concerns before a High Court judge.The WSG, as Protect Wanaka, raised $13,000 via a Givealittle page to pay for the legal action. A second Givealittle page has raised $1,230 of a $20,000 goal.WSG chair Michael Ross Queenstown media outlet Crux reported that QAC has spent more than $300,000 so far defending the WSG legal action. WSG spokesperson Mark Sinclair told Crux that not only do residents have to fund the WSG application, “but in effect ratepayers will cover the cost of defending it”.Queenstown Lakes District councillors approved a long-term lease of the Wanaka Airport to the QAC at a council meeting on April 20, 2017. One year later the lease became effective, with QAC paying the QLDC $14.5 million for the ground lease and related assets. The WSG claims that handing over control of the existing Wanaka Airport to QAC by a 100-year lease following QLDC’s consultation in 2016/2017 acted in breach of numerous sections of the Local Government Act. It claimed that, as a result, any contracts entered into with QAC to transfer control of the airport “were unlawful, were illegal contracts and of no effect”. Additionally, it argues the decisions of QLDC to enter into the lease were unreasonable and failed to take into account relevant matters.The hearing is expected to take a week and High Court Judge Justice Gerard Van Bohemen’s decision is likely to be delivered later in the year.