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

The 2023 FIFA women’s World Cup CEO David Beeche has taken on a new position as CEO for tourism giant RealNZ.RealNZ owns a broad range of popular tourism businesses in the lower South Island including Cardrona Alpine Resort and Treble Cone Ski Area.“The tourism industry has been through an incredibly tough period, and I look forward to helping continue the rebuild and drive a successful future for RealNZ,” Dave said. With a background in both sport and tourism, he said it was “an honour to take up the reins as leader and kaitiaki” of the company.“We are thrilled to have Dave lead RealNZ into the future,” RealNZ chair Martin Dippie said.“His experience managing complex multi-site businesses, strong people and leadership skills, and passion for conservation give him an excellent foundation to grow this iconic South Island business.” A keen outdoorsman and multi-sporter, Dave has strong connections to the South Island. “The family and I love the deep south, have spent many years working and holidaying here at our home in Arrowtown,” he said. “We’re looking forward to permanently relocating and integrating into the local community.”Dave replaces Paul Norris, who has been acting CEO since April, following Stephen England-Hall’s resignation. PHOTO: Supplied

Wanaka based lawfirm Aspiring Law has acquired the Suburban Law practice in Christchurch, expanding its South Island presence to its other locations in Wanaka, Arrowtown and Dunedin.“This acquisition reflects the importance of the Christchurch market to us and our longer-term strategy," Aspiring Law co-director Janice Hughes said."Being available to our clients wherever they are, is important to us, and this will make it easier for clients to visit us outside of the hustle and bustle of the central city."Aspiring Law co-diector Steph Gifford said the decision to merge with Suburban Law was an easy one."We’re both locally run legal practices with shared values and similar ways of doing business so this couldn’t be a better match," she said. "It’s been a comfortable and seamless transition aided by the fact that our people are like-minded and the teams complement each other beautifully.”Steph said for Suburban Law clients, it’s business as usual, just with a few new faces added to the mix.

After a mixed - but ultimately successful - winter on the slopes, the South Island’s 2023 ski season was seen out at Cardrona Alpine Resort’s annual closing day on Sunday (October 15). Snow was slow to arrive, but when it eventually did Wānaka welcomed thousands of skiers and snowboarders from around the world.This year was the first time Cardrona and Treble Cone used ticketing systems to manage capacity and improve the guest experience. “Over the last few winters our experience wasn’t quite where we wanted it to be, without the ability to moderate the number of guests we welcomed onto our mountains,” Cardrona and Treble Cone Experiences general manager Laura Hedley said. Snow was slow to arrive. PHOTO: Wānaka App “Implementing a system used by many of the world’s biggest ski resorts allowed us to limit the number of passes sold on any given day, to keep the number of skiers and snowboarders at a manageable level.” She said the skifields didn’t always get it right, but they continued to learn through the season.Laura said the early-season snow “led to some challenges”, but feedback from guests was that their experience at Cardrona and Treble Cone had been much better than in previous years. Highlights of the winter included hosting world-class events where Kiwi snow sports stars took on their international counterparts on home soil, like the Winter Games NZ Junior World Championships.US Olympian Jessie Diggins at the Snow Farm with a young fan at the Merino Muster last month. PHOTO: Wānaka App“Seeing Lucia Georgalli, Rocco Jamieson and Mischa Thomas all on the Junior World Champs podium at home was really special – it’s incredible to watch the next generation of New Zealand snow sports athletes step up, and exciting to see how that has inspired kids who will take their turn in a few years’ time,” Laura said.The Snow Farm also experienced challenges this season, with delays to its base building project meaning temporary facilities, such as containers and portaloos, had to be transported to the Pisa Conservation Area.The Waiorau Nordic Ski Club said the season’s challenges brought the club closer together, providing a sense of community and momentum for the future.The Snow Farm’s annual Merino Muster (part of the Worldloppet International cross country circuit) in September welcomed a sizable field of international competitors and featured “the world’s fastest course”, according to three time Olympic medalist Jessie Diggins (USA).

Aurora Energy has reported $11.1M in net profit (for year ended June 30, 2023) and is happy with the progress on the second year of its five-year-long $563M investment programme.The forecast profit for this year was $9.9M. Last year’s profit was $7.8M, and June 2021 was $0.68M.The company said the positive result against forecast was driven by higher revenues due to strong residential demand and the removal of some historical pricing structures from April 2023. Chief executive Richard Fletcher said the company has completed a significant amount of work over the last couple of years and despite economic inflation and rising costs for labour and materials, they have delivered largely to plan.“We have now cleared a backlog of higher-risk poles, which is a significant milestone, and continue to bundle work in the same area into larger packages. This means we can minimise the disruption for customers as well as reduce delivery costs,” he said.There will be a community drop-in event to share results from the annual delivery report on Thursday October 26 (11am -1 pm) at Alexandra Community House on Centennial Ave.There will be information relevant to the community and Aurora Energy will be available to answer questions.The annual report, the annual delivery report and the media release can be found on Aurora Energy’s website.The annual delivery report is a requirement under Aurora Energy’s customised price-quality path (CPP), to outline how they are performing against their plans, following approval from the Commerce Commission in 2021 for the five-year investment programme to undertake essential maintenance and upgrades on the network.Richard said they were happy with progress and continuing to deliver against the ambitious work programme to upgrade the network. “A robust and efficient electricity network is central to reducing carbon emissions through electrification and that’s why our investment programme is so important.” Capital expenditure of $99.3M (it was $83.0M in 2022) went to new network assets in Central Otago, Dunedin, Wānaka and Queenstown during the year.

Wānaka’s third retirement village could be operational as soon as 2025.Retirement village giant Metlifecare has submitted a resource consent application for a new village in Three Parks.The company purchased a 5.42ha site near the Wānaka Golf Course last year and its application, lodged in August, provides more information about its plans for the site.Layout plans for the proposed retirement village. IMAGE: SuppliedIf the project gets the go-ahead, it will feature 93 villas, a care home, and an amenities building. Plans have changed since last year, when Metlifecare head of development Matt Wickham said the company planned for 120 villas and seven apartments.Application documents say the villas would be a mix of two and three-bedroom terrace-style homes, each with garages, and the care home would feature 30 suites.The amenities building, according to architectural drawings, would feature a billiards room, cafe, salon, dining room, lounge, and activities room. An artist’s impression of the amenities building. IMAGE: SuppliedIn its application Metlifecare said there was “high demand for elderly housing in this location”.The Wānaka retirement village would be Metlifecare’s first in Otago and third in the South Island. The company also has almost 40 retirement villages in the North Island. The Wānaka retirement village could create up to 140 construction jobs in the community during the building phase and another 50 once operational, across nursing, gardening, kitchen staff and more, the application said.Queenstown Lakes District Council is currently considering the Metlifecare application.

Dates have been confirmed for the phased rollout of freshwater farm plans in the region, Otago Regional Council (ORC) says.ORC environmental implementation manager Libby Caldwell said this will give farmers and growers certainty of when they need to begin work on preparing their plans - a new regulation which mandates farms over a certain size need audited freshwater plans.She said ORC had already fielded a number of questions about this farming community. “It’s great to see such interest in an area where we can see so much potential to focus on freshwater while helping farmers and growers plan for the future.”More than 3,500 Otago farmers will need freshwater farm plans, from about 34,500 across the country.The plans will apply to all pastoral or arable land of more than 20 hectares and all horticultural land of five hectares or more.The freshwater farm plans are a key part of the government’s wider Essential Freshwater reforms, which aim to protect and improve freshwater quality and ecosystems across New Zealand.The roll-out of freshwater farm plans across Otago’s six freshwater management units will begin next February. Farmers will have 18 months following the start-dates in their part of Otago to have their freshwater farms plans created and certified.The Upper Clutha has a start date of February 2025.“ORC will have staff available to help support this implementation over the next couple of years including workshops and one-on-one meetings with farmers to ensure they understand the process and are confident in creating a freshwater farm plan,” Libby said. “We will soon be calling for expressions of interest from those looking to train as certifiers and auditors of freshwater farm plans in Otago.” PHOTO: Supplied

A large site on Ardmore Street with super-sized development plan approval is on the market. Approval for a wide-ranging commercial and residential development on the 5,600 sqm site on the northern side of Ardmore Street was granted earlier this year. The plans include a large hotel, 58 residential units, and a handful of retail and food and beverage tenancies.Read more: Five-storey Ardmore Street development in the worksIt would fill the substantial site, made up of six individual parcels, which are located between ANZ and Heartland Design and Print.The site is currently on the market. PHOTO: WanakaDevelopers Wānaka Central JV Ltd are hoping to sell the property less than six months after receiving approval from Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC). The company’s directors are developers Brett Gamble and Anthony Gapes. Auckland-based Anthony is a former director of the company behind Queenstown’s Five Mile development. BusinessDesk reported earlier this month that three of his entities are in liquidation owing more than $10M.The Ardmore Street property is listed with Bayleys Wānaka. 

A record number of Māori businesses throughout the southern region have been selected as finalists in the 2023 Kupeka Umaka Māori ki Āraiteuru (KUMA) Southern Māori Business Awards.They include Wānaka companies WanaHaka Tours, which offers a range of experiences combining Māori culture and local tourism, and EASI NZ, a human resources business. Judging panel convenor Jeff Broughton said judges were impressed with the high calibre and number of quality candidates and applications received. “The applications came from a diverse range of industries, and it is clear that Māori business is continuing to expand across Otago and Southland,” he said. “It was an honour and a privilege to be part of the judging process and we congratulate all those that gave us an insight into the amazing mahi that is undertaken by pakihi Māori (Māori enterprise).” “We have seen the scope of what pakihi Māori are achieving in our takiwā and couldn’t be more proud of and excited by their achievements. Now it’s time to celebrate their successes.”An awards evening will celebrate these businesses.The awards gala dinner takes place this Saturday, September 30 at community cultural and art space Te Atamira in Tahuna (Queenstown). This year’s awards theme centres on mātauranga, which embodies the significance of Māori knowledge, wisdom, and culture in the world of business.Victoria Campbell, the awards dinner’s keynote speaker. PHOTO: KUMAKeynote speaker at the event will be Kāi Tahu astronomer Victoria Campbell, who is currently leading a new research project at Tūhura Otago Museum to explore the southern cosmos from a Kāi Tahu perspective.

Silverlight Studios has been granted an extra five years to ‘give effect’ to both its film park and the workers’ accommodation the company plans to build on its 332ha site near Wānaka Airport. When the film park project was approved in December 2021 under the Covid-19 Recovery (Fast-track Consenting) Act, decision documents suggested the project would move quickly. Bulk earthworks could begin in 2022, those documents said, while construction of sound stages, an ‘Italian village’ and a ‘seaside village' could take place in 2023, with the Paris replica set to be built in 2024.Two years later, with no signs of construction on-site, Silverlight Studios has secured extensions until March 2029.The extension applies to both the film park (55ha of development featuring studios, production offices, a film school, a screening theatre, and an exhibition centre) and the 300 residential units for workers’ accommodation.Fast-track consents have a default duration to lapse within two years, but local councils can grant extension periods.Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) resource consents manager Fiona Blight said the company had made “substantial progress” on the film park.The company has completed detailed design work for some of the sound stage buildings and sets and bulk earthworks, prepared environmental management plans for earthworks, liaised with QLDC’s building department and finance department, and undertaken geotechnical investigations, she said.It has also had discussions with construction companies for the project.The film park could cost as much as $280M to construct. Silverlight Studios was approached for comment.IMAGE: Silverlight Studios

The findings from Wastebusters’ 2023 Resourceful Communities survey, released on Friday (September 22), highlight an increase in secondhand shopping, and reduce/reuse behaviours holding strong despite cost of living being a key cause of concern.For a third year, Wastebusters asked people about the barriers that stop them reusing and reducing waste. Survey respondents ranked price as the number one factor that influenced their consumers choices (up from third most influential factor in 2021), followed by healthy choices and environmental impact (both down one ranking).Wastebusters project manager Sophie Ward said there was a notable upturn in the frequency of secondhand shopping (68 percent always or usually shop secondhand first, compared to 55 percent in 2021), with many respondents appreciating how Wastebusters helped them shop secondhand first.“It’s heartening to see that despite the challenges posed by the cost of living crisis, the majority of people are still choosing to reuse and reduce,” Sophie said. The survey found an upward trend in those always or usually choosing reusable period products, with an increase of 36 percent in the 25-34 age bracket and up 40 percent for 35-44 year olds since 2021. Other behaviours remained positive, with 95 percent always or usually using their own drink bottle (compared to 92 percent in 2021 and 93 percent in 2019) or buying fruit/vegetables unpackaged (87 percent compared to 88 percent in 2021 and 87 percent in 2019).“We’ve also seen this high involvement in sustainable actions across Wastebusters’ zero waste campaigns. In the last year, 2,500 people have come along to our community events to engage and learn about low waste living, home composting, repair and slow fashion,” Sophie said.This year the survey asked participants what encouraged or facilitated their reuse behaviours. The survey found incentivisation a key factor; people want to be encouraged to reuse and bring their own containers, whether through shop signage or discounted products. As part of Plastic Free July this year, Wastebusters provided a number of hospitality outlets with BYO cup/container posters which may have contributed to the 10 percent increase in people considering taking a BYO container for takeaway food.There is a clear need for accessible alternatives such as a cup/container lending scheme to help overcome barriers to reuse, Sophie said, with ‘I forgot my cup’, ‘I didn’t plan ahead’ or ‘BYO not an option’ the most common barriers cited again this year.“We also found that people really wanted to reduce their daily impact and they cited numerous areas they wanted to learn more about,” she said.“It’s more important than ever to provide our communities with ways to connect, interact and feel inspired to take positive action.”Topics included learning more about food, recycling, advocacy, shopping, repairs, and creating a sustainable home environment.“Thanks to all who responded to the survey,” Sophie said. “The information we gathered will be incredibly helpful for us to develop zero waste programmes specifically designed for our communities.”For more information, read the summary and full survey report.PHOTO: Supplied

Big-box retailer The Warehouse will open the doors to its Wānaka store on October 12. The Warehouse, plus Noel Leeming and Warehouse Stationery, have been under construction at Three Parks for the past year or so and the opening day will feature free cupcakes, goody bags and special deals. “We’re extremely excited to open our new store to the Wānaka community and [save] everyone a trip over the Crown Range,” The Warehouse Wānaka store manager Pascal Maeder said. The Warehouse is well-known for offering a range of everyday goods; Noel Leeming supplies tech, whiteware and appliances; and Warehouse Stationery has office supplies.Warehouse Group chief store operations officer Ian Carter said 65 team members have been employed across the new stores, most of whom live locally.“We’ve got a fantastic team who are busy preparing the store for opening on October 12 and are really looking forward to welcoming customers instore,” he said. Ian said The Warehouse was pleased to offer a full pantry and grocery range in the Wānaka store.“We offer… essentials at the same price across the country, like $3 for two litres of milk. “We’re also incredibly proud of our own-brand, Market Kitchen, giving customers more choice on products like butter, coffee, flour, pastas, oats and rice.”Customers will be able to drop off soft plastics for recycling at The Warehouse as well as e-waste, mobile phones and used ink and toner cartridges at Noel Leeming.The traditional Warehouse sausage sizzle fundraisers will also start right away.A four-day fundraiser for Wānaka’s Toy Library, Riding for the Disabled, Scouts Group and Parents and Friends of Mount Aspiring College taking place for four days from opening day.On opening day, ribbon cutting will take place at 8.30am as the doors open and the first 300 customers (200 for The Warehouse and 100 for Noel Leeming) will get free cupcakes and goody bags.The Warehouse will be open from 8.30am-8pm every day and Noel Leeming will be open from 9am-5pm.PHOTOS: Wānaka App