A 30-year veteran of the hospitality industry has been appointed to the position of general manager for the Ignite Wānaka Chamber of Commerce.In an email to chamber members Glenn Peat announced his own appointment saying that he has a “real passion for engaging, networking and creating positive change”.“I believe that I have the experience to contribute positively to the Wānaka business community,” he said.“My excitement towards this role is to assist in engaging, developing our business community through professional leadership and the opportunity to create positive change.”Glenn is currently the group general manager for the Taco Medic restaurant chain and will continue in that role. Prior to moving to Wānaka in 2018 he managed leading brand hotels in China and India.“We are delighted to have someone of Glenn’s calibre take on this role to help the board refine and deliver its strategy to support the local business community,” Ignite Wānaka board chair Jo Learmonth said.“We are excited about our plans for 2023 and look forward to having Glenn become a recognised face within our business community.”The organisation’s general manager role has been vacant since March 2022 when the former general manager Naomi Lindsay resigned to pursue her own business ventures.Glenn said he looks forward to working with the Ignite Wānaka board to provide opportunities for business growth and success, through strong advocacy, training and networking both within and outside of the region.PHOTO: Supplied

A Wānaka cafe owner has challenged the minister of tourism to visit his cafe to see the reality of current hospitality conditions.Ritual Cafe co-owner Chris Hadfield wrote to Stuart Nash on Wednesday (January 4) asking for a personal meeting with him, after he took exception to the minister’s comments about the impact of visitor numbers on hospitality.In a story first published on Radio New Zealand, Stuart said more than 20,000 working holiday visa holders had arrived in New Zealand since the border fully reopened last July and businesses were working hard to give summer tourists that "famous New Zealand experience"."We are working as hard as we possibly can to fill the gaps, even though there are some areas - Queenstown comes to mind - where the labour shortage is reasonably acute," Stuart said."If it takes people five or 10 minutes longer to get a coffee, or 15 minutes longer to get a meal, then so be it. I still think the level of service received will still be done with a smile and people will still have the experience they've come over here for."Chris told the minister his comments “astound me with your apparent acceptance of customers waiting times for coffee and food”. “As wait times increase then the number of customers that we can serve directly decreases and obviously our income is directly affected,” he wrote.On social media Chris was less careful with his words, saying the minister was “completely out of touch with how hospitality works”.“If every coffee takes 15 minutes longer then with every passing minute we get further and further behind.Chris (who is also a member of the Wānaka Upper Clutha Community Board) said he has been running Ritual Cafe for over 15 years and “this has been the most difficult period ever and relates to the inability to find staff”. He told the minister he has a good feel for how local businesses are coping and “it does not paint a pretty picture”.Chris told the Wānaka App he wants to speak to the minister face to face. However, that’s unlikely to happen soon as the minister is on holiday until January 16.Chris has been outspoken about his criticisms of the government’s changes to visa requirements, and in May last year he told the Wānaka App staff shortages were “worse than ever”.Read more: Businesses in ‘survival mode’, concerned about new visaThis past Boxing Day was the busiest ever for Ritual Cafe, as it was one of only a few cafes open in Wānaka.PHOTOS: Supplied

A proposed residential subdivision at the Otago Fish & Game Council’s Wānaka property will not impose on the Bullock Creek springs and wetlands. Otago Fish & Game Council has applied for resource consent to subdivide its substantial Stone Street site into nine lots.Six of these would be residential lots and the other three lots - which make up the majority of the site and include the wetlands - would “remain in the status quo”, application documents say. If approved, the residential subdivisions on the site would be located at the northwest corner of the site, on flat land below the wetlands and the popular boardwalk and away from the flow of the creek. The proposal would not affect the Bullock Creek Hatchery Springs walkway, a boardwalk across the wetlands.The subdivision and sale of part of the land would free up funds for other initiatives, Otago Fish & Game Council chief executive Ian Hadland told the Wānaka App.“Otago Fish & Game Council, as a not for profit organisation, needs to manage its assets carefully and efficiently on behalf of angling and hunting licence holders,” Ian said. He said the council had agreed that the “opened grass area of Central Wānaka land didn’t do that in its current form” and disposal of the assets and applying the funds elsewhere was “an appropriate and prudent option”.Subdivision plans show the proposed residential lots (1-6) would be located on the northwestern edge of the property.It also “puts the council in a good position to take up opportunities as they come up,” Ian said.There was “no doubt” the 2.4ha+ of wetlands would be retained, he said, and a portion of proceeds from any sale would be dedicated to the ongoing restoration and protection of the spring and wetlands. Bullock Creek is spring-fed from the Cardrona aquifer and is an important nursery stream for brown and rainbow trout. It runs from the Fish & Game site - an old hatchery - to the Alpha Series residential development in Meadowstone and on to Lake Wānaka.Panels added at the popular walkway a couple of years ago provide interesting facts about Bullock Creek’s history.The Bullock Creek Hatchery Springs Walkway, a 330m raised boardwalk across the wetlands, was publicly unveiled in 2018 after a collaborative effort by local residents and other agencies.  More recently Friends of Bullock Creek (FOBC) added panels to the boardwalk which feature gems of historic information about the creek and its environs.Otago Fish & Game Council’s resource consent application to subdivide the property is currently being considered by Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC).PHOTOS: Wānaka App

A film company and a technology company have been given a financial boost with loans from the Queenstown economic transformation and resilience fund.Minister for Economic and Regional Development Stuart Nash said the government has approved a $2 million loan for Target 3D and a $1.25m loan for Loaded Reports from the fund.Nash said the $20m fund was intended to provide a level of diversification for the Queenstown economy because it had such a heavy reliance on international tourists.He said it was hoped the fund would put the region in a better position if it ever faced a drop off in tourists again, as has been experienced in recent years.Target 3D, a motion capture and production studio, will use the money to upgrade its Queenstown digital studio. Nash said Loaded Reports, a hospitality software platform, would be able to grow its business on a global scale."These are both digital/ IT companies and there is a lot of this sort of stuff going on in Queenstown at the moment," Nash said. "And if we could form some sort of digital film/ IT hub down there that would go a long way towards achieving our goals of economic diversification."Nash said the fund has a number of other projects on the drawing board but it was far from exhausted."There's still quite a bit left there so I would say to any business in Queenstown or any business looking to relocate or locate in Queenstown to give their local Kānoa or provincial development guys a call, because we are happy to help."Nash said there were similar funds in four other regions identified as overly reliant on international tourists, and they were interested in providing loans to any businesses other than tourism and construction.PHOTO: Supplied / Queenstown Airport

The Wānaka community has another opportunity to have a say about the way tourism is operating in the Queenstown Lakes at a community meeting this Thursday (November 17). The meeting follows significant public feedback on the new destination management strategy for Queenstown Lakes - the ‘Tourism for a Better Future’ draft strategy - which was shared with the district’s community in August. There have been more than 1,600 visits to the regenerative tourism website housing the strategy document and more than 600 downloads, resulting in 33 pieces of detailed feedback from individuals and organisations.Lake Wānaka Tourism general manager Tim Barke said the feedback focused on key themes such as decarbonisation, climate and biodiversity, and management of visitor numbers.“Together, the Queenstown Lakes district has the opportunity to rethink how the visitor economy works and to imagine how it can deliver social, cultural, economic and environmental benefits through tourism that also provides exceptional visitor experiences,” he said.What is regenerative tourism?Tim said demand is growing for “green and sustainable tourism”, and the notion of regenerative tourism is fast gathering pace.A regenerative visitor economy is one that gives back more than it takes, a principle that is being adopted by leading places and tourism destinations internationally.A local example of a business practising regenerative tourism is Eco Tours Wānaka which, for the past 15 years, has been planting trees to reforest Mou Waho Island, an initiative so successful that Buff Weka and other species have been reintroduced and are breeding successfully.High country tour operator Ridgeline Adventures has implemented a predator control programme by setting trap lines which they check as part of their 4WD tourism experience.Tim said the elimination of single use cups in many businesses and cafes in Wānaka is reducing waste going to landfill and is a good example of what the community can achieve.“There are a large number of examples of businesses who are, and many who have been for a long time, working to regenerate ecosystems and the environments they operate in,” he said.How might tourism marketing change?A key element of a regenerative strategy is communicating who we are as a community, Tim said.“By telling the stories of who we are as a community, what we love about this place, what we value, what we love to do and how we like to protect it, we can attract the type of people who this resonates with.“We can also invite them to get involved or contribute to local initiatives underway to benefit our place, which can be supporting local cultural events, helping with regeneration of our ecosystems and conservation or contributing financially to local initiatives.” But New Zealand is a long-haul destinationTim said the future of New Zealand tourism requires a proposition aligned with a low carbon future as there is a growing international realisation that travel is carbon intensive and long-haul travel even more so. “People are realising that greenhouse gas emissions are a significant influence on climate change and the effects of which are being increasingly felt and seen internationally and in New Zealand,” he said.“Air travel is a significant contributor to this and since we are an island and the majority of people arrive here by aircraft, this is a significant factor.”Tim said technological solutions are rapidly evolving to reduce and eventually eliminate greenhouse gas emissions from aircraft travel with significant investment and significant customer demand for this to happen.Creating the plan and next stepsRegional Tourism Organisations (RTOs) across New Zealand received government funding in 2020 from the Strategic Assets Protection Programme to develop destination management plans, in line with MBIE’s destination management guidelines. The region’s two RTOs, Destination Queenstown and Lake Wānaka Tourism, in partnership with Queenstown Lakes District Council, came together to develop a roadmap for tourism putting people and place at its centre and enabling a viable and regenerative tourism future by 2030.International destination management experts Destination Think are partnering with the steering group to develop and enhance the strategy further, based on the feedback received.Destination Think, which has considerable international experience with complex destination planning, will visit Queenstown Lakes in November to meet with community, stakeholders and industry to provide an update on the revised strategy and next steps with implementation. A community meeting will be held in Wānaka this Thursday (November 17).PHOTO: Wānaka App

Maude’s Reserve East Block Riesling has scooped the prestigious Heritage Rose Bowl Trophy at the National Wine Awards of Aotearoa (NWAA) 2022. It’s the latest of many accolades for the local, family-run vineyard, which was started by Dawn and Terry Wilson in 1994 and continues to be run with daughter Sarah-Kate and son-in-law Dan Dineen winemaking.The Heritage Rose Bowl Trophy recognises a wine which has shown excellence over ten years, NWAA convenor Jo Gear told the Wānaka App, adding that it rewards wines that have developed “grace and complexity over time”.“It is a very special award,” she said.The riesling vines, located at the Mt Maude vineyard in the sunny and sheltered Maungawera Valley, were planted close to 30 years ago by Dawn and Terry and they are now “lovely mature vines,” Sarah-Kate said. Winegrower Sarah-Kate Dineen (centre) with NWAA host Anne Scott and presenter Jesse Mulligan at the awards gala in Auckland. PHOTO: Supplied“The riesling vines are picked in two parcels, purely for their different flavour attributes, due to the vine’s aspect, clone and soil type.”On the western side of the Mt Maude homestead grow the vines that make the Dry Riesling, which Sarah-Kate said was “restrained and tight in structure with its aromatics of talc and wet slate”. “Across the other side of the house comes East Block Riesling, being more sheltered and receiving the first of the morning light, the grapes ripen earlier,” she said. “The flavours are more fruit forward and in the green apple and orange blossom spectrum, ideal for our sweeter, lower alcohol East Block Riesling.”Sarah-Kate Dineen said the Maude team was “delighted” that the Maude East Block Riesling had been recognised in this way.“To win the Heritage Rose Bowl Trophy, which recognises the style, quality, consistency and age-ability of a wine across a decade is the ultimate to us.” The National Wine Awards of Aotearoa is the country’s newest and only national wine show.  Winners celebrated at an awards gala on Sunday October 6 at Auckland’s Hilton Hotel.

The Queenstown Lakes district resident population is estimated at 49,500 as of June 2022 according to population estimates released by Stats NZ last week (October 25).The population has grown 16.5 percent over the past four years, up from 42,500 in 2018, to record a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.9 percent.The latest figures show the district’s population has been increasing at more than 2,000 people each year over the past 10 years, however this slowed in 2020 and 2021 due to a decline in international migration.The data also shows we are aging, with the average age across the district 35.1 years compared to 33.8 years in 2018. The proportion of the population over the age of 40 is 40.6 percent, an increase from 39.3 percent in 2018.Forecast population data from Stats NZ projected the district’s population to grow to 57,900 by 2033 and 64,800 by 2043 which is an annual growth rate of approximately 1.4 percent, well below the current rate.Stats NZ did not provide a breakdown for the Wānaka-Upper Clutha Ward, however earlier population projections by the Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) showed the ward comprised approximately 32 percent of the district's total population. At that proportion the current resident population of the Wānaka-Upper Clutha Ward would be 16,000 today, growing to 18,700 by 2033 and 21,000 by 2043.QLDC’s latest projections have Wānaka-Upper Clutha closer to 20,000 population by 2033 while the current annual growth rate for the district (3.9 percent) would see the ward’s population grow to 23,500 in the next 10 years.The Otago population is now estimated at 246,000 growing at 0.92 percent annually, and the New Zealand population is estimated at 5.12M growing 0.9 percent each year.PHOTO: Wānaka App

A Wānaka-based business has won the Most Outstanding Established Business accolade at The David Awards 2022.Smile Box, an online gifting business which sends products all over New Zealand from its workshop in Wānaka, was named the winner during last month’s ceremony.Husband and wife duo Tom and Hannah Wrench, owners of Smile Box, said they were thrilled to have their business named winner of the category. "It means a lot to us to be recognised for what we've achieved over the last five years,” they said. “We've been through a steep learning curve and a rollercoaster ride, particularly with starting a new family at the same time.”The judges said the category was hotly contested with businesses demonstrating solid business growth but “spectacular and consistent growth, commendable values, clever marketing and a healthy set of financials put Smile Box over the winner's line first".Other David Award 2022 winners include Block Dock, who won the 'Supreme Winner' award and Stock Fox, who took out the 'Most Innovative Business' category.The David Awards recognise the "unsung heroes" in small business.PHOTO: Supplied

Embattled skifield operator Ruapehu Alpine Lifts has received a $4 million rescue package - partly with help from the government - as it tries to make it to the next ski season.The voluntary administrators who took over the company last month have ruled its existing management simply can't stay on.RAL is snowed in about $40 million debt, and needs another $9 million dollars to keep its two skifields - Turoa and Whakapapa - operating.The lifeline bank loans were announced by voluntary administrator John Fisk on Nine to Noon today."We have now just confirmed with the Crown and ANZ that they will provide emergency funding to get us through to before Christmas," he said."That will give us some time to put together a plan to ensure that we give the best possible opportunity to open again in 2023."Fisk said the $4 million would help RAL to keep staff on over summer, to prepare the mountain for the winter season."There's an awful lot of maintenance that needs to go on over that period," he said.It would also buy "breathing space" needed for the administrators time to come up restructure plans, he said.It's unclear how much of the money comes from ANZ, and how much from the government.Just last month Economic and Regional Development Minister Stuart Nash expressly ruled out any more government bank loans for RAL, having already contributed $15 million for construction of the Sky Waka gondola in 2018.In a statement today, Nash said Cabinet had given a mandate to MBIE's Provincial Development Unit Kanoa, to lead negotiations with ANZ and other bondholders to endeavour to support the continued operation of the skifield at Mt Ruapehu "with the associated community and regional benefits."ANZ declined RNZ's requests for comment. Neverthless, Ruapehu mayor Weston Kirton said he was grateful the government was coming to the table."We appreciate the urgency [with which] the government has given support. Of course it's worrying for the local community that the future of our winter skiing and snow next year is going to be difficult," he said. But Kirton conceded it was only a band aid solution. The question remains who will run the skifields next year. John Fisk told Nine to Noon PWC hadn't "actively sought" interest from other skifield operators but it had recieved enquiries. The skifields won't be handed back to RAL in its current state, he said. "We're not going to be handing the company back to the existing shareholders and management. There's just too much debt in the company," he said."What's clear is that the vehicle that has been operating the mountain to date is not viable in the future. What we need to do is get the operation into a new vehicle that's recapitalised and meets the needs for future operation."Meanwhile, there's still a $5 million funding gap to bridge to keep RAL going until snow returns next year.Some of the 14,000 people who own lifetime passes to the two skifields, believe they could be the solution. The Ruapehu shareholders and Life Pass Holders group has been surveying members to see who would chip in money to keep the skifields open. Spokesperson Sam Clarkson said the answer was "a clear yes, from a large number of life pass holders." "The feedback has come back very clearly that most are willing to keep Ruapehu going." Sam Clarkson said selling regular ski passes for next season could also go a long way to help - as long as buyers could have confidence there would be a next season.He also hoped to see the Sky Waka gondola in full swing over summer, to cash in on the international tourism market. "The Sky Waka has not had a chance to stretch its legs yet. Since it was built we haven't actually had a summer with open borders, no restrictions. It would be a shame not to show what it's worth," he said. John Fisk said before Christmas there would be a "watershed" meeting of creditors.They would be presented with a restructure plan for RAL and asked whether to accept it, or if they wanted to enter into liquidation.PHOTO: RNZ

Visitor numbers, bed nights and visitor expenditure all increased this winter, which are promising signs for the local tourism industry.  Domestic tourists made up for 77 percent of the total visitor spending over June and July, Lake Wānaka Tourism (LWT) general manager Tim Barke said.International tourists accounted for the remaining 23 percent.  Over the two-month period total visitor revenue increased just one percent compared to 2021, but that does not include revenue information for August, which was a busy month for skifields. “Generally, good snow early or even pre-ski season often translates into a busy latter part of the season which is what we saw in August,” Tim said. He said the numbers were “about where we can expect given the snow we had for the season and the effects of staff shortages limiting capacity for some businesses”.New Zealand’s borders reopened to international visitors from around 60 visa-waiver countries in early May, with a staged full reopening following, but industry experts warned that tourism would not return to pre-Covid levels for some time.  Between June and August, the total visitor numbers to Wānaka were up 17 percent compared to last winter, and bed nights increased by 15 percent. Fifteen percent of visitors came from overseas, and they were primarily Australian skiers, Tim said. Visitors are starting to stay longer when they visit Wānaka, and wanting to experience more while they are here, Tim said. “An increased consciousness of carbon footprint may be influencing this,” Tim said. “This may also be an incentive for some Aussies to visit rather than travelling further afield.”Destination Queenstown chief executive Mat Woods said visitors over the hill had also stayed longer this winter, with an average length of stay increase 15 percent. More than half of Kiwis who visited Queenstown this winter intended to return in the next year and Tim said Wānaka was experiencing more repeat visitors too. “The domestic market rediscovered skiing in New Zealand when they weren’t able to travel overseas, which is helping keep them coming back.” Ignite Wānaka chair Jo Learmonth said while the “good, lengthy winter season” had helped local businesses, it did not mean all businesses were ‘in the clear’. “There is a wide range within the Wānaka business community at the moment,” she said.  “Where possible, those that have been able to remain sustainable throughout or recover quickly and capitalise on seasonal opportunities are making headway.   “However, for everyone at that end of the spectrum there is a business at the other end who is struggling with staffing shortages, increasing costs, and supply chain issues.” Tim said the late-season snow dump in Wānaka was a good sign for next winter.  “A good snow dump at the end of the season such as the one we’ve had… can also help give a lasting good impression of the season, helping with bookings for the following year,” he said.  “...it will be interesting to see how this plays out next year.” PHOTO: Wānaka App

Measures to support the hospitality and tourism industries announced by the government will do little to reduce local staff shortages, Ignite Wānaka says.Immigration minister Michael Wood announced on Sunday (October 9) that hospitality and tourism will have another year before they need to pay staff entering New Zealand on an Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) the median wage.In addition, chefs hired under the same visa will no longer need to meet cooking qualification requirements, Michael said.Ignite Wānaka chair Jo Learmonth was lukewarm about the announcement. “The change, although small, is at least a positive step in recognition of the challenges businesses are facing and will make some difference to some employers,” she told the Wānaka App. “However, it's a bit too little too late as businesses have been struggling for months.”She said the new changes would take some months to make a difference, in the same way reopening the borders had not had an instant effect on the labour market.“With the removal of travel restrictions, it's not like turning on a tap and immigrant workers flood back in, it's more of a trickle,” Jo said. “There are still many businesses who are having to close or change their business trading hours due to staff shortages.”The AEWV was one of a raft of changes to immigration settings announced in March to improve wages and working conditions for workers while providing a route for businesses to access key staff. Former immigration minister Kris Faafoi said New Zealand could not return to the “pre-pandemic trends” of being overly reliant on low-skilled migrant workers who were at risk of being exploited.When it was first made public, the new policy (replacing six visa categories) initially required a three-step accreditation process for employers and mandated an hourly pay rate of at least $27.76 (the national median wage).This was widely criticised by the hospitality industry locally and nationally, and in May the government said it would allow the hospitality and tourism industries to pay a reduced wage of $25 per hour until March 2023.At the time, Ritual Cafe owner and Wānaka Community Board member Chris Hadfield said the change to the AEWV’s requirements didn’t go far enough with staff shortages “worse than ever”.The latest round of changes have not impressed him either. He told the Wānaka App all the new policies have made it “harder and harder to operate with sufficient staff or even find any”.Cromwell’s Stoaker Room Bistro & Bar owner Sue Barbara also said the changes to requirements for chefs had come too late: “It’s going to make a difference but we’re nearly in summer already - we need staff now.”She said the existing bistro was currently closed for one full day and one half day and plans to open a new Stoaker Room in Wānaka were progressing more slowly than planned, in part because of the staff shortages. Under Sunday’s announcement the two industries will have another year to transition to the full median wage but they will be required to pay staff on AEWV visas 95 percent of the median wage from April next year. There had been some positive changes for the hospitality and tourism industries since the borders opened and “a good, lengthy winter season” have helped, Jo said, but businesses were still struggling with the “tenuous” market. “Having to navigate lengthy, confusing, expensive, and constantly changing regulations is not helpful and this is where nationally more support needs to be provided,” she said.Michael defended the intention of the changes to immigration policy. “The government is focused on moving New Zealand to a higher wage economy, increasing the skill level of migrant workers, and encouraging employers to offer competitive wages and improve career pathways for New Zealanders,” he said. “This policy is beginning to work, with clear evidence of better pay and conditions in a range of sectors, which will create a more sustainable labour market for everyone.”PHOTO: Wānaka App

Wānaka-based Jacqueline Cheyne has been appointed a director of Pioneer Energy Limited.The appointment was announced by Linda Robertson, chair of Central Lakes Trust which owns Pioneer Energy.Linda said Pioneer was pleased to have secured such a highly qualified and experienced director. Jacqueline has more than 30 years’ experience in financial reporting and sustainability. “She currently chairs the Sustainability Committee for Stride Property Group, the Risk and Audit Committee for NZ Green Investment Finance and is a member of the XRB, chairing the project steering group for the development of the Aotearoa NZ Climate Reporting Standards, amongst multiple other directorships across listed company, government and not-for-profit boards,” Linda said.“Jacqueline’s experience with climate risk assessment, sustainability and carbon reporting will prove extremely valuable to the board of Pioneer Energy.”Pioneer Energy has supplied renewable power to New Zealand business and communities for more than 80 years. It owns and operates a diverse portfolio of energy assets, products and investments throughout New Zealand.  Pioneer Energy chair Rob Hewett said Pioneer has access to a “pipeline” of growth opportunities through several strategic investment partnerships, which will contribute to the development of a sustainable energy future for New Zealand.“It’s important we equip the board with the skills to take us into the future and Jacqueline’s expertise and experience in climate risk and sustainability is highly relevant,” he said.“I am delighted to be joining the Pioneer Board and working with a company that is providing exciting renewable energy solutions for New Zealand,” Jacqueline said. The new board appointment fills a vacancy resulting from the resignation of Nick Lewis, a board member since 2015. Rob thanked Nick for his service to Pioneer, saying his contribution played a large part in Pioneer growing into the company it is today.PHOTO: Supplied

The government has allocated part of the 5G radio spectrum to major telecommunications companies instead of holding a revenue-generating auction.The big three mobile network operators Spark, Vodafone and 2degrees, will get a 20-year term on condition that rural and small town broadband connectivity is improved.The Interim Maori Spectrum Commission and infrastructure wholesaler Dense Air will also get allocations.Chief executive of the Telecommunications Users Association, Craig Young, said he hoped the money saved by the telcos would be spent on increasing the pace of the 5G roll-out to small towns and rural areas."We've been arguing for quite a while now that spectrum auctions are really just revenue grabs because the money doesn't go to help users it just disappears into the government's coffers," Young said."We're pretty happy with the fact the government has taken a different approach with this."If telcos were getting the spectrum for a token amount, Young wanted the government to tie them down on specific commitments on what benefits it will bring the consumer."This will hopefully bring the roll-out of improved services like 5G significantly quicker because one, the telcos now know what they've got in terms of spectrum."Secondly, they know what they've got to spend."That's the critical piece that I'm waiting to see what the government does."Minister of Digital Economy and Communications David Clark said many more New Zealanders would gain access to the speed, capacity and reliability of 5G services as a result of the agreement."As part of the new agreement, our three major mobile network operators - Spark, 2degrees and Vodafone - will be required to increase the pace of the 5G roll-out to small towns across New Zealand. There is also an expectation they will continue efforts to improve rural connectivity," Clark said.The details of this long-term allocation will continue to be worked through over the coming months as the Crown negotiates final contracts with the parties involved.PHOTO: RNZ / Nate McKinnon

Fewer snow days and less snow for our ski fields, that’s the message from NIWA hydrological forecasting scientist Jono Conway.Speaking at Wao’s monthly Green Drinks event in September, Jono said the warming climate will mean fewer snow days at moderate elevations where our ski fields are. “For a one and a half degree change, a moderate degree of warming, we are seeing the snowline rise 200 metres,” he said. “So that is rising from about 1,200 metres now to 1,400 metres over this century.”Jono is researching the impact a warming climate has on our glaciers and snowfall and uses physics-based computer modelling along with a network of snow and ice weather stations throughout the Southern Alps.“Those stations give us a ground truth on whether our models are realistic,” Jono said.“We are looking at what is going to happen in the next 30-80 years, specifically in winter.”The modelling looks at a range of scenarios from a half degree of warming up to the worst case scenario of two to three degrees of warming, and the impact a warming climate has on our local winter weather.“The general trend is it’s getting wetter and in the case of high emissions [worst case] it is getting a lot wetter in winter,” Jono said.“Even though we’re getting more precipitation in winter we are getting less snow cover days at all elevations within the area from Treble Cone to the Remarkables.“Our ski fields are not high enough to benefit from the increased precipitation falling as snow.”Although we can expect fewer snow cover days, Jono said the wild card is the role of extreme weather events.“We had two big systems this year in June and July which delivered a massive amount of snow and made for a great ski season,” he said. “We are expecting extremes to be far more common as the century progresses.”This winter’s temperature was a degree above normal in Wānaka with a record amount of rainfall, however the extreme events delivered a deeper snow pack.Previous: Wānaka’s wettest winter on record“I think we’ll probably see more seasons like this season but on average I don’t think the future climate is going to deliver more snow at elevations we ski at,” Jono said.Wao is a registered charitable trust based in Wānaka which helps communities shape a sustainable future. They organise a number of events including a six day summit running from October 25-30, 2022. Tickets are available here.PHOTO: Supplied

Construction and demolition waste makes up around 40-50 percent of waste ending up in landfill nationally, and the Upper Clutha is no exception. Last week NZ Clean Up Week volunteers said they were shocked to discover so much construction waste in public places and roadsides. Local advocates for reducing building waste say while some progress is being made it is still a serious problem in the fast-growing town. Ben Acland is the co-founder of the Wānaka Community Workshop (WCW), a workspace where locals can make things using salvaged products. “Building and business waste is one of the reasons we began the workshop,” he told the Wānaka App. “However the issue is so big that we are more of an education or leadership role in this space rather than making a meaningful impact on reducing the vast quantities going to the environment or landfill.”Hāwea volunteers picked up more than 1,000 pieces of building waste in 300 metres. PHOTO: SuppliedWhy so much building waste?Ben described a straightforward reason for the large volumes of building waste being dumped.“The main issue is that builders are in a rush, labour is expensive, dumping is cheap,” he said.“Smaller builders work out of a house, not a shed, [and] they have no storage.”This perspective is echoed by national advocates like Level: The Authority on Sustainable Building, which says that most of the dumping of secondary waste is unnecessary. “It has been demonstrated that simply by sorting waste, at least half of it could be diverted from landfills and cleanfills,” the organisation says.A growing problem?Chris Champion was one of around 20 volunteers who collected waste from the end of Timsfield Drive in Hāwea earlier this month.“In 300 metres of litter picking we half filled a high sided trailer with well over a thousand pieces of litter, almost all building waste,” he said.He expressed concern over how much worse the issue could get with construction booming in the area. Just a few hundred metres from the clean-up site is the Longview subdivision, which has consent for 465 new lots. A study by Auckland Council found that an average new house build produces 4.5 tonnes of waste. That’s roughly the equivalent of putting out the kerbside bin every week for more than 30 years.WAO co-founder and sustainability advocate Monique Kelly describes construction waste as a “huge” issue. “When it's not dealt with correctly on site, it litters our land, gets into our soils and waterways and finally our food systems,” she said. “When it does go into a skip, it then gets dumped into landfill in the beautiful Gibbston Valley.” She said when the waste does make it to landfill, it may be a more contained and controlled way to deal with waste but “it’s just putting the problem out of sight”.“Both issues need to be addressed.”Are we making progress?Monique said WAO has been working with the Better Building Working Group, holding workshops to address the problem and look to better materials and management practices for builders and tradies and peer-to-peer learning.“[The workshops look] at how to reduce waste in the first place, provides options for reuse, recycling and finally an opportunity to look at problem products and how we can find alternatives or phase them out,” she said.“Since beginning these workshops in 2019, we've seen an increase in the number of companies reducing their materials footprint as well as a lot of work from suppliers and waste management to look at reduction of waste at the source and more recycling options in our district.” What’s next?Ben said there are four practical steps which could help reduce the issue. Mandatory lids on skips would both stop products from blowing out of them and protect materials that could be reused from being damaged by water, he said. He’d also like to see Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) create a bond process when issuing building consent, whereby the bond is refunded when builders can demonstrate they have adhered to a waste reduction plan.Ben would also like to see building suppliers play a role.“Mitre 10, Placemakers, ITM (etc) should be required to take back over-supplied, or under-utilised orders from customers,” he said, to “store and resell to [the] public for DIY projects. They deliver to sites, so their delivery trucks could return with unused materials.”Lastly, a public facility where building waste could be sorted before it is dumped would have a big impact, Ben said.Alongside regulations, Monique says educating the industry about the scale of the problem is essential.“What we've found is that It's really about behaviour change,” she said. “Once you know the massive health and environmental impact waste has and then connect that with what we all love about this place, you think twice about the materials you use and how to keep them in circulation for as long as possible.”“Like anything, the first step is in confronting and owning the problem.”Get involved Wao’s next construction waste workshop is taking place on October 26.The event is designed for sole builders as well as larger construction companies who want to reduce their waste.  Find more information and sign up here.PHOTO: Supplied

National recognition for their effort has made a hard couple of years all worth it for Wānaka Top 10 Holiday Park owners Andrea and Justin Kendrick.Andrea credits a great team for getting through the challenges that came with Covid-19.Not only that, the park has just been recognised with five awards at the Top 10 Holiday Park Awards including the Supreme Award for the best Top 10 park in New Zealand. “It has been a tough year, with uncertainty, sickness and inability to fill vacant roles,” Andrea said, “but it just goes to show how a small team can pull together to work hard and deliver spectacular results.”“We have been so grateful for the wonderful staff we have had throughout this time.”Andrea said it was “really special” to attend the awards with manager Jo Bullus, who has been with the park for four years, including through some of its most challenging times.When the award recipients were called, Andrea said she could not believe it as the number of awards the local park received kept climbing.The Wānaka Top 10 Holiday Park has won the supreme awards for the best Top 10 park in New Zealand. “We were absolutely thrilled to win one award, but our name just kept on being called out…it was just amazing,” Andrea said. Andrea and Justin purchased the holiday park eight years ago and this year they will finally reach a milestone achievement: the renovation of some of their motel units.The goal from the start was to upgrade the units to be functional, warm and modern and, without Covid-19, the renovations would all have been completed by now. “Despite hold ups with product supplies, we committed this year to doing two of the four, two-bedroom units, which are due to be completed in November, ready for summer.”Andrea and Justin thanked their guests who took the time to complete their post-departure survey, which she said provided fantastic suggestions on ways to improve the park and the guest experience. “We strive to ensure that our team is happy, that our park is presented in the best possible way and that our guests make memories for life, in the places they love, with the people who matter the most,” Andrea said.“Wānaka is such a special place to host guests from all over the country and the world.”PHOTOS: Supplied

Wānaka ice cream maker PURE New Zealand has taken out the champion dairy-free category award at the New Zealand Ice Cream and Gelato Awards overnight (Thursday, September 1).PURE’s mango and coconut gelato was named the category winner at a gala dinner held in Auckland.The category win follows the announcement that PURE had attained three golds, five silvers and four bronze medals from flavours entered in the awards.“We were very happy to attain the awards,” co-owner Brian Thomas said.“We make every ice cream from scratch using real ingredients every day.”Brian said PURE is now servicing over 150 supermarkets nationwide, is the preferred premium ice cream supplier to Dominos nationally and has just entered the Japanese market.“We are a core team of five operating from the back of the Snowsports New Zealand building in Anderson Road,” he said.For the first time a gelato was named the supreme boutique champion at the awards with judges describing Little ‘Lato’s Speculoos Gelato as a “wonderful innovation … making it totally moreish”.“After all the challenges of the past couple of years it’s heartening to see the quality of locally made ice cream and gelato is better than ever,” NZ Ice Cream Association president Karl Tiefenbacher said.The awards, run by the NZ Ice Cream Association, have been held since 1997 and recognise the country’s finest ice cream and gelato producers.A full list of award winners can be found here.PHOTO: PURE New Zealand Ice Cream

Queenstown Airport Corporation (QAC) has declared an annual dividend for the first time in two years.The corporation has reported its annual results for the year ending 30 June 2022, and QAC board chair Adrienne Young-Cooper said after operating for more than two years in the complex environment created by the Covid-19 global pandemic and the related global and national response, the board is “cautiously confident: it has entered a sustained recovery period. QAC declared a shareholder dividend of $1.3M.Adrienne said the board is focused on supporting the recovery of the Southern Lakes region and the businesses operating at Queenstown Airport.“The company’s business fundamentals and operating capabilities remain strong. We are pleased to declare a dividend this year after two years without declaring an annual dividend.”For the majority of the reporting period (330 days) there were no scheduled international flights to and from Queenstown Airport. Domestically, there was an extended period of nationwide and regional lockdowns, and regional border restrictions which resulted in significantly reduced domestic flights at Queenstown Airport.  Nor were there flights between Auckland and Queenstown, usually QAC’s busiest route, for half the total operating days (178). Adrienne said the business disruptions had a significant impact on operations and revenue. During the second half of the reporting period there was a phased reopening of the New Zealand border. Visitors from all international markets are now able to enter New Zealand. “The pace and timing of recovery is dependent on a wide range of factors, including the continued propensity of New Zealanders to travel domestically, trans-Tasman flight schedules to and from Queenstown Airport, and the recovery of global aviation and tourism,” QAC CEO Glen Sowry said.“Our forecasts indicate that aircraft and passenger numbers will return steadily and are likely to be on par with pre-Covid levels by FY25, with 1.59 million passenger arrivals and departures forecast during the coming year.” Capital expenditure over the year included investment in the Terminal Upgrade Programme (TUP) and the upgrade of three aircraft stands.Adrienne said a key focus this year has been developing a ten-year plan which considers how Queenstown Airport provides aviation infrastructure and amenity for the district. She said in FY23 the board will consult on and prepare the long-term master plan for Queenstown Airport. For full details on QAC's performance click here.QAC is a council-controlled trading organisation (CCTO) which owns and operates Queenstown Airport. The company is owned by Queenstown Lakes District Council (75.01 percent) and Auckland International Airport Limited (24.99 percent).PHOTOS: Supplied

An initiative to develop a community-driven Wānaka town centre plan is gathering momentum.Last week Heart of Wānaka steering group members presented an update on progress to the Wānaka Community Board (WCB) and the group has set up two public drop-in sessions to seek feedback. The aim of the Heart of Wānaka initiative is to coordinate an integrated town centre development which will feed into the council’s planning and channel funding to where it is most needed.Its key vision is to optimise ‘the lakeside heart of Wānaka’ as a thriving, welcoming community centre.Heart of Wānaka was officially launched at a WCB meeting in May but the steering group behind it - which comprises local representatives from the community, schools, retailers, design, business and property owners - has been meeting monthly since a public meeting in July last year. Heart of Wānaka steering group leader Andrew Howard says the group is not “reinventing the wheel” for town planning.Instead, it is putting together a plan “that will address the changing post-Covid world, community concerns and aspirations”.“A key feature of the planning is not to provide a single 30 year masterplan which is difficult to attain in a growing area and a diversity of opinion,” he said. The steering group plans to present two plans: one a short term plan with “obvious” items that could be completed within a five year time frame, and a second, longer term vision plan that contains “the more aspirational and complex ideas”. It has put together some draft ideas for a first round of engagement which includes seven key principles to guide development and funding.Members of the public are encouraged to head along to the Heart of Wānaka drop-in sessions taking place next week to learn more. Andrew said when Heart of Wānaka has gathered and assessed the community feedback it would develop and share a “more refined” set of plans with the public.The group hopes that, with broad support from the community, it will have a plan ready to take to the WCB for adoption in early 2023. The public drop-in sessions will be held at the Lake Wānaka Centre on Wednesday August 24 (12-2pm and 5-7pm) and Friday August 26 (10am-12pm and 4-6pm).Heart of Wānaka was created after a public meeting when it was discovered that there was a desire for the community - rather than the council - to coordinate the town centre’s development.If the Heart of Wānaka plan is adopted, Queenstown Lakes District Council would continue to be in charge of planning and funding of the CBD development.The area covered in Heart of Wānaka plans include the wider CBD and Roys Bay, from Wānaka Station Park to Anderson Heights and Mount Aspiring College.PHOTO: Wānaka App