The past two weeks of school holidays have presented “a mixed experience” for local retailers, Wānaka Business Chamber general manager Glenn Peat says.He estimated that trading could be down as much as 30 to 40 percent compared to the 2023 July school holidays.“While some businesses, particularly certain cafes and shops, have seen consistent foot traffic and sales, others have experienced quieter periods,” Glenn told the Wānaka App.He said the variability could be attributed to several factors, including fluctuating weather conditions affecting ski field operations and visitor patterns, as well as broader economic considerations affecting consumer spending habits.“In discussions with business owners we have received comments from some local businesses indicating that trading could be down as much as 30-40 percent compared to the July school holidays last year,” Glenn said.Read more: Happy holidays for skiers PHOTO: Supplied

Locals have plenty to say, both good and bad, about McDonald’s proposal for a 24/7 restaurant and drive-through on Wānaka’s outskirts.Twenty-seven submissions have been made to Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) since public feedback on the proposal opened last Friday (July 12).Opinions range from saying McDonald’s would “change the face of Wānaka” for the worse, at one end, to commenting that “a bit of competition” on takeaway prices would do no harm, at the other.More than a dozen submitters have opposed the proposal so far; around half a dozen support it; and another half a dozen-or-so say they are open to it if certain changes are made.Key themes from the ‘No McDonald’s’ camp were concerns about litter and packaging, the financial impact on local food businesses, the nutritional value of McDonalds’ food, and the visual effect of the McDonald’s restaurant and signage at the ‘entrance’ to Wānaka.Many submitters also referenced a view that a McDonald’s restaurant was at odds with the “core community values” of the town, as one person put it. Another said it was “not what our town represents”.At the opposite end, one submitter said it was “ironic” to suggest McDonald’s would “spoil the community”.“We already have takeaway burgers, chips and other fast foods here who use wrappers for their products. Are they a significant issue and would McDonald’s really be?”Other submitters in support said a McDonald’s would provide employment opportunities, an affordable takeaway option, and a family-friendly, alcohol-free environment for events like children’s birthdays and post-sports gatherings.Five of the six on-the-fence submitters said they were opposed to the proposed location (near the intersection of SH6/SH84) rather than the McDonald’s, which they said would be better suited at Three Parks.All submissions so far have been made by individuals, aside from one by the Upper Clutha Environmental Society (UCES), which focuses mostly on the planning rules for the site.The proposal - billed for rural-zoned land - “fails to meet a number of District Plan provisions when it is assessed against the Rural Zone objectives, policies, assessment matters and rules in the Proposed District Plan”, UCES said.News of plans for a local McDonald’s restaurant in November last year attracted significant public attention and more than 1,500 people signing ‘Stop Wānaka McDonald’s’ petition within days.The petition now has more than 5,500 signatories, but few of those people have gone on to make a formal submission so far.Anyone who would like to make a submission on the proposed Wānaka McDonald’s has until August 9 to do so. Find information on how to submit here.PHOTO: Supplied

A new, streamlined services model will help the district’s regional tourism organisations (RTOs) deliver more value for members, Lake Wānaka Tourism’s (LWT) board chair says.LWT and Destination Queenstown (DQ) have announced the new model for the 2024/2025 financial year, under which the RTOs will retain their own brand, governance and operations but take a regionwide approach to some functions.Those functions include human resources, administration, finance and others, where shared services will help the organisations gain efficiencies and improve structure, DQ CEO Mat Woods said.It will also help them to “maximise value, provide the environment for collaboration, create an improved structure to deliver on [Destination Management Plan] projects at a region wide level, and lead to alignment and efficiencies across conventional marketing work”, he said.Read more: New tourism plan adopted for districtLWT board chair Calum MacLeod said the streamlined model would mean more value from the targeted tourism levy and the member dollar would go further.“Shared services and sharing capabilities will lead to shared expertise across the region rather than doubling up on key capability areas,” Calum said. “As sister regions, more can be achieved by working together and taking a collaborative approach.”Gizelle Regan, who has moved into the head of destination role at LWT (which replaces the chief executive role Tim Barke departed from in April) says the shared services model will also bring more opportunities for members.“Critically LWT members will get access to a wider range of services as part of this model which they can’t currently afford independently,” she said.Both office locations will remain as they are currently to ensure a local RTO presence in both communities and the Wānaka iSite, which LWT owns, will remain a standalone and independent business.The shared services arrangement will be reviewed twice annually to ensure it is delivering benefits for both RTOs.Read more: Milestone for regenerative tourism initiativePHOTO: Lake Wānaka Tourism

Locals will be able to have their say on McDonalds’ controversial bid for a Wānaka restaurant from this Friday (July 12). Plans for a Wānaka McDonald’s restaurant operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week, were made public in November last year, to a divided reception from locals.On Friday the McDonald’s resource consent application will be publicly notified, Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) confirmed today (Tuesday July 9).This means members of the public will have the opportunity to share their views on the proposal formally by making a submission with the council.More than 1,500 people signed the ‘Stop Wānaka McDonald’s’ petition within days of the company’s plans becoming public last year, and signatories have now increased to more than 5,500.The company submitted a resource consent application for a 445m2 restaurant and drive-through on Wānaka’s outskirts in November last year.Aspiring Law director Janice Hughes said a petition does not have any impact on a resource consent application, but it “might encourage people to put in a submission”.Petition creator Sarah Morrison told the Wānaka App she planned to make a public submission and encourage other signatories to do the same.She said McDonald’s goes against “all of our core community values”.“Wānaka tends to pride itself on being a health and wellness-centred place… Having fast food restaurants in town directly contradicts that,” she said. In its application McDonald’s Restaurants (NZ) Ltd said the proposed 445m2 restaurant and drive-through, which would be located just off the SH6/SH84 roundabout, would “give rise to significant positive effects”.They included “the development of a high-quality, architecturally-designed commercial building, which will be visually integrated within the environment” and “support for the local economy by enabling employment and increased spending in the area”.The company has volunteered that its application be publicly notified, QLDC said.All applicants will have to meet the information requirements of the Resource Management Act for lodging an application.More information on the application and details on how to make a submission will be available here from Friday.PHOTOS: Supplied

A project to understand optimal tourism visitation in the Queenstown Lakes region has launched.A team of researchers from Griffith University has been appointed to lead the project, which will seek to create an optimal visitation model to assist scenario planning and decision-making within the district, the Destination Southern Lakes (DSL) board has announced DSL (which is responsible for governance of the district’s destination management plan) has called the project a “world first”.DSL chair Murray Strong said understanding optimal visitation is “ground-breaking work”.“At present, there are no comprehensive models that can guide and establish variables in relation to the social, cultural, environmental and economic limits of visitation levels,” he said.Murray Strong says tourism visitation in the district needs to take into account residential growth, community sentiment, and other factors. PHOTO: Supplied“Queenstown Lakes is a high growth district with an economy that is dominated by tourism. With a small resident population and high visitor numbers, understanding the implications of visitation is essential for making good decisions and achieving positive outcomes to meet the needs of the community.”“Visitation in the district needs to be analysed in conjunction with residential growth, community sentiment, worker experience, visitor experience, seasonal changes, environmental degradation/regeneration and cultural context,” he said.Queenstown Lakes District Council has managed the procurement process on behalf of DSL, and it will be part of the steering group overseeing the project alongside Destination Queenstown and Lake Wānaka Tourism.Work on the project begins this month.While the model is being developed specifically for the Queenstown Lakes district, DSL hopes it will produce a prototype that can be shared with other destinations across New Zealand, and around the world, to support regenerative tourism ambition.Read more: Lessons from Queenstown’s sister city

The snow has arrived with perfect timing and Queenstown Airport is buzzing, airport COO Todd Grace says.About 230,000 passenger movements (arrivals and departures) per month are expected in July and August.A slightly lower number of about 206,000 are expected in September. Australian families have already been flying in for their school holidays and another surge is expected with the start of New Zealand school holidays today (Saturday July 6).“The terminal is full, but we love welcoming people for winter holidays, and we’re well-prepared,” Todd said.The airport is expecting 230,000 passenger movements in July and the same number in August.Because the holidays are more spread out there will not be such a concentrated peak of passenger movements, he said.Todd said the airport expected another influx of people for Winter Pride (August 22) and the Snow Machine Festival (which will run for four days in early September).Todd said Queenstown Airport was currently tackling some projects and trials to improve the customer experience, including changes to passenger processing, baggage claim and security screening.Border agencies are trialling a change to passenger processing for passengers arriving from Australia, with the introduction of a biosecurity screening point before baggage collection which has reduced queuing and sped up processing times.The trial will continue until July 31 to test it with peak passenger numbers and, if that goes smoothly, the new procedures are likely to become permanent, Todd said.Screens in the baggage claim areas now advise when the first and last bags from a flight have been put on the conveyor belt to get rid of “the guesswork for passengers”, he said.A fourth passenger screening lane with improved screening technology has been installed, which allows travellers to leave laptops, iPads and other large electronics in their bags.PHOTOS: Supplied

Entries are now open for the 2024 Wānaka Business Excellence Awards, organised by the Wānaka Business Chamber in partnership with Milford Asset Management. Wānaka Business Chamber board chair Jo Learmonth said the chamber is delighted to organise the popular event, which culminates with a gala dinner on November 9.“The Wānaka Business Chamber is committed to our vision of supporting the development of strong businesses, connected economic networks and a thriving community,” Jo said. “The Wānaka Business Excellence Awards epitomises every aspect of this and we look forward to coming together in November to celebrate the remarkable achievements of our local business community.”Businesses of any size are encouraged to enter the awards, which feature revamped categories, clearer questions and criteria, and a simplified entry and judging process, following feedback from previous awards.A new independent judging panel comprises 11 local, experienced business leaders and specialists led by businessperson and brand strategist Lynley Lischner as convenor of judges.“Businesses should leap at the opportunity to enter the Wānaka Business Excellence Awards to showcase the innovation and best practices that have delivered strong results for their business,” Lynley said.“There is a robust judging process in place and the judges are eager to see many entries from our amazing local businesses. “We want to understand how the business objectives have been met with good examples of how strategy, innovation and execution of the plan led to measurable results.”More information on the Wānaka Business Excellence Awards can be found here and entries can be submitted here.Entries close on July 31.Industry categories:Excellence in Customer Experience supported by Drive AccountingExcellence in Visitor Experience supported by Lake Wānaka TourismExcellence in Trade & Industrial Sector supported by FindexExcellence in Primary & Consumer Goods supported by Cardrona & Treble ConeExcellence in Professional Services supported by Aspiring LawSpecialist categories:Strategy, Innovation & Business Solutions Award supported by Batchelar McDougall ConsultingBest Emerging Business (Under 3 years) Award supported by Air New ZealandEmployer of the Year Award supported by EASINZBusiness Sustainability & Environmental Impact Award supported by Queenstown Lakes District CouncilCommunity Contribution Award supported by Queenstown AirportJudges:DevelopNZ director Linzi Ebbage-Thomas, Air New Zealand regional senior account manager Frank Gibbons, Senior leadership professional Ann Lockhart, Southern Football CEO Dougal McGowan, Destination Queenstown CEO Mat Woods, Business consultant Mike Henderson, Hojo director Andee Gainsford, Aspiring Law director Janice Hughes, OSACO Group managing director Jaydene Buckley and Health Screening CEO Carolyn Oakley-Brown.PHOTO: The Film Crew / Bunker Street Studios

The Warehouse is looking to restore its fortunes with a restructure.Interim chief executive John Journee said the business would be "reshaped" around its three core brands, along with new leadership."We're not where we need to be, and we must act decisively to fix that. We need to be leaner and focused on our core brands - The Warehouse, Warehouse Stationery and Noel Leeming."He said the group's management has been shaken up with new roles created to look after the combined Red Sheds and Warehouse Stationery operations, and dedicated leadership for the Noel Leeming appliance and electronics business.Journee said the new appointments would be 'laser focused' on what needed to be delivered.The Warehouse group has been through a torrid few months as it reported falling sales and margins, a large loss on asset writedowns, the sale of its Torpedo 7 business for $1 and the closure of its online Marketplace.That resulted in the departure of chief executive Nick Grayston who had been brought in to turnaround the group's performance in 2016."These changes are the first step for us to simplify and streamline our operating model, reduce cost and sharpen the focus on our core brands," Journee said."We're taking quick and decisive action to improve our performance and better serve our customers."

A new preschool set to open next January will help to alleviate some of the pressure on early childhood centres around the Upper Clutha.Aspire Preschool and Nursery director Julian Springer told the Wānaka App 60 parents had pre-registered a child for the service within 10 days of its website going live. The new preschool, which will have a focus on low teacher-to-student ratios and getting kids school-ready, will be located at the former Little Wonders Wānaka site on Connor Street.The original daycare closed last September with just a week’s notice, leaving parents scrambling to find suitable daycare in a town where waitlists of a year are not unusual.Aspire Preschool and Nursery director Julian Springer and head teacher Anita Presbury. PHOTO: Wānaka AppJulian said the “huge” shortage of teachers was one of the key reasons Aspire Preschool and Nursery has such a long runway to opening.“Technically we get the lease on July 1 but we have a 6-9 month strategy to recruit teachers because we know part of the reason Little Wonders closed was due to staffing,” he said.Julian said he and head teacher Anita Presbury were looking as far away as the UK and South Africa for qualified teachers “to get the recruitment right”.All but one of the half a dozen childcare centres the Wānaka App called on Friday had waitlists, with most of them described as long or very long.The manager at one centre, who asked not to be named, said their waitlist was anywhere from three months to 18 months and “far beyond what we can take for the next year and a half”. The centre sometimes got calls from expecting parents before they had even shared the news of the pregnancy with immediate family, because they were so anxious to get on a waitlist, she said.A handful of centres said it was difficult to give an accurate timeline for waitlists because many parents sign up for multiple waitlists to increase their chance of securing a spot.This was challenging for the centres, but understandable due to the demands of returning to work and the shortage of childcare providers with capacity. Julian, a lawyer and father, said it was important to him that the new preschool provides the coverage working parents need.It will be open 52 weeks a year with days from 7.30am to 5.30pm “and possibly later if we find we get feedback that parents would prefer us to be open later”.He said the preschool planned to offer a point of difference by focusing on equipping children with the skills they need to enter primary school.“We’re creating a service we think is pretty unique,” Julian said.A ‘meet and greet’ event at Scroggin on August 14 will provide an opportunity for parents to learn more from Julian and Anita.Anita, a local mother and teacher with experience in both early childhood centres and schools, said she was excited to be part of the new preschool.“It aligns with my personal view on teaching and it’s an awesome opportunity,” Anita told the Wānaka App.“We’re hoping to provide something for families down here which gives students a really good start to their education.”PHOTO: Wānaka App

Otago dairy farmers have been congratulated for upping their compliance around effluent storage and discharges, compared with a year ago.“It’s really great to see high compliance across the more than 400 farms we’ve inspected in the financial year-to-date, and to see improved compliance another few points up on last year,” Otago Regional Council (ORC) compliance manager Tami Sargeant said.ORC dairy farm compliance inspections are primarily around effluent management (storage and discharge) with ORC also monitoring compliance with rules for landfills, silage, offal pits and permitted water takes.For the 10-month year-to-date, to the end of April, dairy inspections were up 28.7 percent, from 317 a year ago to 408.Full compliance with rules rose from 61 percent of the total a year ago to 66 percent, while those in the grade of “significant non-compliance” fell from three to two percent for the year, Tami said.“There was also a focus on providing awareness and engaging with farmers on the requirements for animal effluent storage and discharge consents, and understanding when consents might be required.”Tami said the reasons for non-compliance were largely all related to unconsented effluent storage, effluent pond overflows, effluent ponding, offal pit and farm landfill mixing, setbacks and silage leachate discharges.“In many of these cases it was a simply a matter of education and reiterating best management practices around some operations, activities or changes to infrastructure,” she said. PHOTO: Supplied

The country's biggest bank believes interest rate cuts will arrive sooner than it previously expected.The ANZ Bank has changed its official cash rate (OCR) forecast, now expecting the first cut to land in February, rather than May 2025.The Reserve Bank (RBNZ) - in its May statement - indicated rate cuts would not arrive until the second half of next year.In a note, ANZ New Zealand chief economist Sharon Zollner said "meaningful progress" on inflation was "around the corner"."Before cutting the OCR, the RBNZ needs to not only be confident that CPI (consumer price index) inflation is on its way to 2 percent, but that it can be reasonably expected to subsequently stay within the 1-3 percent target band," Zollner said."But by February next year, we are anticipating that the RBNZ will have seen fourth quarter CPI inflation at 2.6 percent year-on-year - non-tradable (domestic driven inflation) still 4.7 percent year-on-year, but we are forecasting it to drop sub-4 percent the following quarter - and unemployment through 5 percent."Zollner said that should be enough to trigger a rate cut.It comes as the European Central Bank cut interest rates for the first time in five years, and the Bank of Canada became the first G7 nation to cut rates.The US Federal Reserve - the world's most influential central bank - is expected to cut rates this year, starting in September.Earlier this week, New Zealand economic consultancy Infometrics pushed out their rate cut call, from November 2024 to February 2025.Financial markets have priced in a 25 basis point rate cut by November and close to 50 basis points by February.ANZ said beyond February, it had pencilled a 25 basis point cut at each meeting. Also earlier this week, the NZ Institute of Economic Research said the RBNZ could always cut in 50 basis point chunks if it needed to."In our view, inflation data will soon start to make a more convincing case that the RBNZ is winning this war," Zollner said."We also expect that the RBNZ will take quite some convincing to actually cut the OCR, given it's in the nature of their mandate to be cautious when assessing the outlook for inflation."

Lakeside Apartments has been ranked first in both the luxury category and the small and boutique category for New Zealand in Tripadvisor’s Travelers’ Choice Awards Best of the Best for 2024. The Tripadvisor Travelers’ Choice Awards Best of the Best winners are among the top 1 percent of listings around the world on Tripadvisor."We are honoured to be placed first in both the Luxury and Small & Boutique categories in the NZ Tripadvisor Annual Awards," Lakeside Apartment’s general manager and owner Gary Christie said.Join Good Neighbour Support the Wānaka App and local journalism. Good Neighbours make great communities."This award is a testament to the dedication and passion of our team, who work tirelessly to create unforgettable experiences for our guests. We are grateful for the recognition and remain committed to maintaining the highest standards of excellence in hospitality."Tripadvisor ranks Lakeside Apartments No. 1 in Wānaka.The award is based on feedback from anyone in the community who has visited and left an authentic, first-hand review on Tripadvisor over a 12-month period, making it a valuable and trustworthy designation of travellers’ favourites. Guests staying at Lakeside Apartments praised the level of comfort and quality, and its cleanliness and convenient room features. Reviewers consistently commended the friendly and efficient service. Lakeside Apartments is based on Lakeside Road.PHOTO: Supplied

News of another New Zealand retail giant in trouble comes at a time when the industry is facing what one expert calls its most dynamic phase in decades.Smith & Caughey's yesterday announced a proposal to close after 144 years of trading. The closure would result in close to 250 job losses, and follows a 40 percent drop in in-store revenue in the past five years. "We're seeing retailers that have been around for generations closing and these curveballs that have been thrown, certainly since Covid, have been things that none of us have ever experienced before," says Chris Wilkinson, managing director of the consultancy First Retail Group.Meanwhile, at the other end of the retail spectrum, whoever takes over leadership of The Warehouse Group is faced with a company that has taken drastic steps to get back on track.After the sudden departure of chief executive Nick Grayston, the international search for a new chief executive is likely to take months. The news on the afternoon of 20 May that he was leaving, effective immediately, followed an earnings downgrade, a $23 million half-year loss, a slump in its share price and asset sales. NBR co-editor Calida Stuart-Menteath called time on Grayston weeks before that in her weekly editorial Last Word. "We concluded that Nick Grayston had been there eight years and hadn't managed to do what he said he was going to do," she says.The retailer has gone from being a pioneer in its day, opening up consumer and households goods to low and middle income Kiwis at prices not seen before, to one struggling against competitors such as Australian-owned K-Mart.Stuart-Menteath details the Red Sheds' period of growth through the 80s and 90s, and its listing on the stock exchange in 1994. In 2000, sales exceeded $1 billion and it was in the top 10 largest listed companies in New Zealand.A buying spree in the past decade under the previous chief executive saw The Warehouse expand into a group of retail brands, some of which became top performers. Others flopped. Among them was sports chain Torpedo 7. It was bought for tens of millions of dollars and recently sold for just one dollar.The Warehouse Group has since refocused to three key brands - the Red Sheds, Warehouse Stationary and Noel Leeming.Wilkinson says The Warehouse was a forerunner to big format retail and shoppers went there not only for the bargain but because the shopping experience was a novelty."People were drawn to these new and differentiated environments, they were drawn to the concept of saving money by shopping in a very basic environment, having lots of products, in many cases they were products that people hadn't seen before."That was really the start of experiential retail, which is kind of what is driving consumers' behaviour now."But he says consumer behaviour over the past decade has changed, with consumers spending less on products and more on experiences and entertainment. "That trend has been going for quite a while now - well over a decade - as our successive audience, so younger consumers, are in many ways less materialistic."So retailers are having to respond to this change in consumer needs and behaviours in different ways."And that's a challenge that The Warehouse Group must contend with."For the very big box models without any strong differentiation, yes, it will be challenging going forward. "The Warehouse now really needs to think about the categories that it can own and succeed well in."Is that gardening, is that going to be home furnishing, clothing it does well in, grocery? Developing the right types of environments for these categories to succeed is going to be really important."So The Warehouse does have quite a challenging road ahead, but it's not insurmountable."For Stuart-Menteath, that means a focus on both their website and their brick-and-mortars - and she thinks that needs some work. "It's going to be a hybrid model from now on, I think, and that's another reason why retailers like The Warehouse, like Briscoes, really need to have a website that's usable for consumers, not really tricky to navigate, easy to use. "People want to go in store but they also want to go online."Now the idea is they've got rid of TheMarket.com and they will focus on getting The Warehouse online platform up to speed. "But it seems to make more sense that rather than just getting The Warehouse up to speed, they should have a whole overarching website for its three core brands where people could go and purchase their electronics from Noel Leeming, their bed duvet covers from The Warehouse and their stationary from Warehouse Stationary, all on one platform." 

Six district councils that adopted policies to allow trading on Easter Sunday had let them lapse before this year's public holiday, putting some businesses at risk of enforcement action.A law change in 2016 gave local councils the option to set their own rules for trading on Easter Sunday, on the condition the policy was reviewed within five years of being adopted. If a review didn't take place, the policies would be revoked after another two years.Queenstown Lakes, Westland, Grey, Wairoa, Kawerau and Ōpōtiki district councils all adopted local Easter Sunday shop trading policies but had not reviewed them within the specified timeframe, for various reasons, so they were revoked ahead of Easter.ACT MP Cameron Luxton said in some cases, councils had let the policies lapse unwittingly, so traders had been at risk of breaking the law. He said the confusion showed there was a clear need for reform."There's a super complicated amount of regulations over Easter weekend - four days and four different sets of rules."Last month, a private member's bill by Luxton proposing to repeal Good Friday and Easter Sunday as restricted trading days was drawn from the ballot.Cameron Luxton's private member's bill would standardise the rules around the country. PHOTO: VNP / Phil SmithHe said it would make things simpler over Easter by allowing businesses around the country to choose for themselves whether they wished to trade or not."What this bill will do is provide clarity for New Zealanders on how they spend their Easter weekend, so we don't end up, every Easter, every business in the country trying to figure out what the rules are."He said councils that adopted policies had taken the initiative to enable more liberal trading over Easter weekend, but it had resulted in "a complicated patchwork of rules" that even local councils themselves could not keep up with."A lot of businesses who thought they could trade over Easter ended up getting a rude surprise that it might not be the case."He said no-one was being well served by the law as it stood.The Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) adopted Easter Sunday trading policies in 2017 that lapsed before Easter this year. QLDC said it was awaiting the outcome of the member's bill before taking further action.A QLDC spokesperson said central government had signalled an intention to review the Shop Trading Hours Act, which would likely change council jurisdiction regarding Easter Sunday trading."Hence, Queenstown Lakes District Council is deferring any review of the most recent policy, or creation of a new one, until quarter three of this year to see whether the matter has progressed at a national level."If it hasn't, we would expect to begin the process then."PHOTO: Wānaka App

The country wide Techweek, which aims to spark conversations about the value and impact of emerging technology on the lives of New Zealanders, is also being celebrated in Wānaka.Wānaka Tech Meet-Up will host its first tech quiz as a part of Techweek ’24 at b.social this evening (Tuesday 21) at 6.30pm, putting people’s tech (and general knowledge) to the test.  “By hosting the quiz, Wānaka Tech Meet-Up aims to spark discussions about technology within our local community, making it an inclusive and accessible activity for all during New Zealand Techweek," LOGIC1’s Niamh O’Byrne told the Wānaka App.“Tech is a big part of our everyday lives, and our quiz is designed to connect tech enthusiasts and maybe even expand your tech know-how.”Since kicking off last year, Wānaka Tech Meet-Up has grown into a monthly gathering, providing a platform for remote workers and local tech professionals to connect, share insights, and network, Niamh said.There are a significant number of people working in technology in Wānaka, she added, and the quiz night aims to “help start a conversation about technology in a fun way”.“We hope that this is something that we can grow each year,” she said.Niamh said there are three Techweek events in Queenstown, including a collaborative event today with Lake Wānaka Tourism focused on the best technology for tourism and hospitality.There is also a session in Queenstown and online on Wednesday about low-code and how it can support Startups to prototype and iterate faster and accelerate time to market; and a ‘Women in Tech’ session which features a panel discussion by women from various tech fields, sharing their stories, insights, and tips on thriving in tech. Find more information about NZ Techweek here.PHOTO: Supplied

Wanaka retailer Racers Edge has announced a brand refresh after de-coupling from outdoor retail chain Torpedo 7.The refresh includes a rejuvenated visual identity and a reconsidered brand strategy mission and purpose.  Work to uncouple the two businesses began in late 2023, preparing Racers Edge for its return to independent roots in mid-March, right around the time Torpedo7 announced its sale.‘We were two separate companies heading in different directions," Racers Edge managing director Charles Cochrane said."[We] are focused on delivering a specialist customer experience with quality international brands whilst T7 was pushing more into the home brand space”.Racers Edge has operated out of its Wānaka lakefront store since 1989.Originally founded as a ski specialist servicing the fledgeling Wānaka ski industry, Racers Edge has evolved and expanded into a ski, bike, and outdoor adventure store. In the years following the Global Financial Crisis, Racers Edge established a partnership with R&R Sports, allowing the company access to a stronger buying base and improved business infrastructure. R&R Sports was acquired by The Warehouse Group and the existing franchise agreement between R&R Sports and Racers Edge was transferred to Torpedo7. Charles said that as Torpedo7 scaled into a large, more mainstream outdoor chain, it became difficult to integrate the franchise model into the Torpedo7 operation and the benefits of the franchise were lessened."While the sale of Torpedo7 during the uncoupling process came as a surprise to all of us, it also cemented the decision and highlighted the need to make it happen faster," Charles said.Racers Edge Store is closed this week while the fresh new brand look and feel is being rolled out. The store will open again on Saturday (May 11) with the new logo encompassing key landmarks of the Wānaka region.PHOTO: Wānaka App

Outdoor gear brand KEA Outdoors is aiming to raise $500,000 in growth capital this month (May 2024) via an equity crowdfunding campaign.The campaign went live on PledgeMe on April 30 enabling the public to invest in the three-year-old company and join its mission to build an international outdoor gear brand out of Wānaka.KEA Outdoors founder Matt Butler said the PledgeMe equity crowdfunding approach differs significantly from the company’s three previous Kickstarter campaigns.“We are a company fully funded through crowdfunding campaigns,” Matt said.“To date, we have raised more than $700,000 from product-focused Kickstarter campaigns and sold 18,000 items to more than 8,000 customers.“This equity crowdfunding approach enables us to double down on our success to date and invest into product development and brand building in our key markets.”Since the company’s inception in 2021, KEA Outdoors has expanded internationally with distribution warehouses in the USA, Australia, New Zealand and China, and has shipped to more than 50 countries.Equity crowdfunding was first introduced in New Zealand 10 years ago, with the launch of FMA-licensed platforms such as Snowball Effect and PledgeMe. The financing approach allows the public to directly invest in private companies without using traditional brokering services.“Equity crowdfunding has become more popular for consumer-facing brands, especially direct-to-consumer businesses,” Matt said.“It allows a company to give back to loyal customers by enabling them to have ownership in the company.”This is KEA Outdoors’ first capital raise and new investors can buy shares for a minimum investment of $1000 through the PledgeMe crowdfunding campaign.The PledgeMe equity crowdfunding campaign is open from April 30 to May 31, 2024.

A draft economic diversification plan developed by Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) alongside local businesses and industry experts has been shared for public feedback. Councillor and local business owner Matt Wong said the draft plan - ‘New pathways to a thriving future’ - aims to support the diversification work already happening across the district.“A variety of local businesses and individuals are already creating income streams outside of traditional core sectors like tourism and construction, and this in turn is nurturing a new range of suppliers and associated businesses supporting them,” Matt said. “This new plan aims to boost these innovations further, creating a local economy better able to withstand potential disruption and capitalise on new opportunities.”QLDC economic development manager Peter Harris said the draft plan proposes a key project with three strategic pillars, each with its own objectives and supporting projects.“The intent behind the keystone project is to acknowledge the international experience and outlook of our locals and how this can be channelled for the benefit of businesses across the district and wider region,” he said. “The three pillars then outline the need to, respectively, create the conditions that will help retain and attract diverse businesses, build on the district’s tourism expertise to grow related sectors like film and screen, and foster new niche industries.”.“With tourism and construction currently so dominant, change will take time but it’s really encouraging to see some amazing businesses flourish outside these sectors and there are many other people keen to support them to grow. ‘Fresh opportunities will inspire budding junior entrepreneurs and encourage homegrown talent to remain in the district.”The draft plan sits alongside the district’s regenerative tourism plan ‘Travel to a thriving future’ and the Queenstown Lakes Spatial Plan. Together, these will form the economic development strategy, Peter said.QLDC is hosting a lunchtime webinar to provide more insight into the draft plan, at 12.30pm on Tuesday November 21. During the seminar, Peter will be joined by Benje Patterson, a local economist specialising in regional economies, QLDC strategy and policy general manager Michelle Morss, and Patrick McVeigh, People and Places Lead at consultants MartinJenkins. Public feedback on ‘New pathways to a thriving future’ closes on December 8 with the final plan expected to be presented to councillors in early 2024. ­­­Full details on the plan, as well as a webinar registration link can be found here.

For 30 years, the closest Justine and Geoff Ross had come to cows was two cowhide chairs in their Auckland living room.But that didn't stop the couple behind the successful 42 Below vodka business from buying a high-country station at Lake Hāwea and embarking on a new way of farming.The station isn't just carbon neutral, it's carbon positive.They detail the struggles, even outright hostility as well as the triumphs and deep satisfaction from having a dream, and the courage to chase it in their new book, Meet You At The Main Divide: A Family's Story Of Life On Lake Hāwea Station.When she first set eyes on the property it was a “hard no” Justine Ross tells Jesse Mulligan (RNZ Afternoons), but a trip to the back country on the property changed her mind.“There's a stream there and we sat there as a family and had a bit of a picnic, and I just couldn't believe it, it was unfathomable and it still is really, that we could actually own this piece of land.”Geoff, despite years in the marketing game in Auckland, felt the pull of the land strongly, he says.“I thought I'd suppressed it after being in Parnell and the agency worlds, but it was always there actually and after a couple of trips down here for recreation, the pull finally got the better of us.”Their first year on the property wasn’t plain sailing, Justine says, but gradually the family settled into life on the farm. They were also driven by a desire to do something tangible for the climate, Justine says.“Geoff was part of Pure Advantage, a lobby group for the business case for the environment, which does amazing work.“And I've been involved with Greenpeace, there was just so many factors pointing to having the need to do something significant about what we believe is the existential threat that our planet is facing.”Having made their money “selling booze” they wanted to leave a more wholesome legacy, she says.“A legacy that's really about what we believe in, to become climate advocate people through farming was just a no brainer for our whole family.”They acknowledge they met some resistance to the way they planned to farm at the outset, Geoff says.“It was probably at a ram sale, the first ram sale I went to actually and the subject of climate change came up, over smoko.“And there was a sense of resistance at that point. But it's amazing how much that's changed in the last few years.“And in fact, the last ram sale I went to, now the conversation is that the climate is definitely changing.”Seasoned farmers from the region know better than anyone how the climate has changed, he says.“One of the drivers for coming here, with a lot of discussion in the media was around farming as a problem in climate change, I guess what we wanted to disprove that and show that farming can be part of the climate change solution.”Being a carbon positive farm means they sequester twice the amount they emit, Geoff says.“We emit largely through our stock and tractor hours, we emit 2500 tonnes of greenhouse equivalents every year. So, it's a big number.“But thanks to a lot of that bush, a lot of the plantings, we’ve planted 22,000 trees, a lot of the regenerating gullies and and steep faces which have little farming value, because we've protected that, it's sequestering 5500 tonnes.”Country Calendar featured them last year, and they copped some pretty virulent online burns, being called ‘Instagram farmers’ and ‘five-minute farmers’.“I mean, all those things are true. In many regards, we are, we've only been here six years, so in many contexts, it's a short period of time.“But there is often a case for fresh eyes. And if you look to other sectors, to use an obvious one like air travel, Air New Zealand don't always hire pilots to be the CEO, they often have expertise and experience from other sectors to drive that business forward.“Farming, as in all sectors, has got to keep the change reflex, we've got to have fresh eyes, we've got to keep looking to what our customers are doing.”“And whilst I can't claim to be an expert with a team of dogs, hopefully there's some skills from what Justine and I've learned, maybe on the market facing side, that can be useful to farming,” says GeoffAnd it’s not all soft and fluffy, hard economics lie behind the farm strategy, he says, the farm turns a profit.“When you're in marketing, you spend a lot of time speaking to your customers and finding out what they want and then looking at what you can offer and then searching for your competitive and ideally a unique competitive advantage.“And New Zealand has many particularly in farming, and I don't think they've been articulated or potentially heard well enough.”And if they are ‘Instagram farmers’ there are hard-headed reasons for that, they say.“There's 50,000 farms in New Zealand, if each of those had as we do for instance 1000s of followers for our Instagram, from countries around the world, let's say in New Zealand each farm had 2,000 followers, that's a 100 million people worldwide listening to the great work that New Zealand farmers are doing,” Geoff says.It's the way they find business, says Justine.“We connect with those clients is through Instagram. So, if that makes us Instagram farmers, we’ll take it.”PHOTOS: Lake Hāwea Station