Local vineyard Aitken’s Folly has come out of the New Zealand International Wine Show (NZIWS) with a substantial medal haul.It received two gold medals (for Aitken’s Riverbank Rd Chardonnay 2019 and Aitken’s Riverbank Pinot Noir 2017), a silver medal (for Aitken’s Riverbank Rd Pinot Noir 2021) and a bronze (for the Aitken’s Riverbank Rd Riesling 2021) at the prestigious competition.Aitken’s Folly owners Ian Percy and Fiona Aiken say they were thrilled to receive a full complement of medals for their wines.  “We’re really pleased with all these medals, especially the two gold medals,” Ian said. “We have always had confidence in our wines and now that has been reaffirmed by the judges who seem to have been equally impressed.”The Aitken’s Folly vineyard is a very small, three-hectare vineyard on Riverbank Road. “We feel we are really punching above our weight,” Ian said. “The quality of what we can produce from our small family-owned Wānaka vineyard probably surprises some of the bigger producers.”Ian and Fiona dreamed of running a vineyard for 20 years before it became a reality.They made career shifts from geology to viticulture after a move from the UK to New Zealand in 2008.The pair are not afraid to take risks: the vines for the Chardonnay (which has now provided them with gold for two years running) were some of the first to be planted in New Zealand.“To have two golds for Chardonnay in consecutive years shows consistent high quality,” Ian said. “Maybe we are onto a winning formula.”There were more than 1,700 entries for the New Zealand International Wine Show (which was actually the 2021 awards, delayed due to Covid-19), with entries from New Zealand, Australia, USA, France, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Argentina, Chile, Germany and Georgia.Two other Wānaka vineyards also proved the quality of their wines at the NZIWS, with Maude and Nanny Goat each earning four awards. Find more here.The award-winning wines will be showcased at public wine-tastings around New Zealand in the coming days before the Champion Wine of the Show announcement on February 28.PHOTO: Supplied

The National Party’s tourism spokesperson Todd McLay was in Wānaka on Friday (March 4) to address a gathering of local tourism businesses where he called on the government to give certainty to the industry by setting a border reopening date.“I call upon the government to give you the date of when they’re going to have international visitors back,” Todd said.“What is the difference and the risk for you from them [Australians] coming here compared to a New Zealand family?”Todd said international visitors would have to prove they are fully vaccinated and have tests on departure and arrival so any risk is mitigated.“If Kiwis can come back from anywhere in the world plus visa holders for work purposes who are double vaccinated and tested on both sides and there is no risk then actually so can others,” Todd said. “Now if there is a reason it can’t happen today and the prime minister says we’ve got to get over the peak of numbers of Omicron, if that is what their advice says, fine, but actually give us a date.“The reason you so clearly need a date is so everybody has certainty and can start planning.” One local tourism operator (who the Wānaka App won’t name to maintain anonymity) said the uncertainty is putting a real strain on their business. “Why would you apply for a position in a tourism business when you’ve got no confidence that they’re actually going to survive,” they said. “It is putting a lot of pressure on us, our cash flows aren’t there, we can’t afford to have the people working for us, then we need skilled staff [when the border opens]. “That is the pressure that is getting put on us, and it's not great, like I’m honestly looking at my staff … which staff member do I get rid of first? That’s what it’s like.”Lake Wānaka Tourism (LWT) general manager Tim Barke acknowledged the challenging operating environment. “The environment we find ourselves in at the moment has been a massive struggle for our community, and many of our people and businesses are on the ground gasping for air,” Tim said. “There is a little bit of light proposed, seemingly at the end of the tunnel, which is hopefully not another train.”The government has announced a progressive reopening of the border from February 28. Under that plan Australian travellers who meet vaccination and testing criteria can travel to New Zealand no later than July 2022, but a specific date has not been set. The border will be open to all travellers meeting the specified criteria from October 2022. See the government's plan here. PHOTO: Wānaka App

A new leisure attraction under construction at Hāwea Flat is on track to open this winter.YourWave is a world-first product created by local Ross McCarthy. Ross’s design pumps water over an inflatable form to create a surf wave.“We have world wide patents now on all the inflatable system so we’re the only company in the world who can use that system,” Ross said. Ross standing next to the pumps which will be used to push water over the wave form.“And the only company in the world who can adjust a wave on the fly while you surf it.”Ross has a masters degree in product design and has been refining his invention for ten years. He said the latest prototype went “really well” and the time is now right to set it up in a commercial environment.“We’ll be able to change the height [of the wave] from pretty much nothing to over 1.8 metres,” Ross said. YourWave will be the only system in the world which can change the shape of a wave while it is being surfed, he said.An artist's impression of the surf attraction.“We can change it on the fly, from a nice carving wave to a stand up barrel.”On any given day Ross expects the most popular wave to be between 0.8 metres and 1.5 metres. He said pricing is a work in progress, but he expects to be able to accommodate approximately eight surfers per hour.The attraction uses water from the bore on the farm where it is situated. “One of the best features about putting YourWave on a farm is the fact that we can circulate irrigation water through the unit which means we do not need to treat the water or use chlorine,” he said.“It gets pumped through the wave before going back out onto the farm through the irrigation system,” Ross said.Read more about YourWave here.PHOTOS: Wānaka App

Wānaka Police will not prosecute any of the taxi drivers accused of price gouging during the New Year’s period.A number of complaints were received by Wānaka Police around New Year’s complaining about customers being overcharged by taxi drivers from out of town.Wānaka Police acting senior sergeant Kim Chirnside told the Wānaka App the investigation did not lead to any prosecutions. “Police investigated this matter and found that there was insufficient evidence to prosecute any parties,” she said. Complaints were made to Wānaka Police after customers agreed to a fixed price with taxi drivers but were later charged at a higher rate. PHOTO: SuppliedIn several of the complaints received by police, the drivers and customers had agreed to a fixed price but the customers were then charged at a higher price when the Eftpos transaction was put through, Kim said. Some locals aired their grievances on social media at the time, citing examples such as people being told they would be charged $30 but finding the next day they were charged an additional $100.One person was charged $100 to go from the Pembroke Park skatepark to Albert Town; another was charged $230 from Wānaka to Glendhu Bay. None of the locally owned taxi companies - Wanataxi, KT Taxis and Yello - were accused of being involved with the price gouging.Kim would not elaborate on the investigation.She said Wānaka Police would keep a close eye on taxi activity this summer.“Police [are] aware of a group of taxi drivers coming to the Southern Lakes area specifically for the New Year period and will be monitoring this group during the next New Year period.”

The independently owned radio stations Radio Wānaka and Roy have been sold to New Zealand Media and Entertainment (NZME).The stations had been owned by Wānaka resident Mike Regal, under Central Lakes Media, for more than a decade. “NZME is a leading media company in New Zealand and we have always had a great working relationship,” Mike said. “Their dedication to local media means I know Radio Wānaka is in safe hands, and the community I know and love will continue to have a quality radio station to keep them entertained and in the know.”Mike will stay on as the morning announcer on Radio Wānaka.Fellow staff Petrea McRobie, Hannah Twiss, Ali O'Connor and John Jones have also been retained and will join NZME in the Wānaka office.Breakfast announcer Bradley Craig (Bradley’s Big Breakfast) has not had his contract renewed.Under the new ownership, Radio Wānaka will join NZME’s stable of radio stations broadcasting into Wānaka, which include Newstalk ZB, The Hits, ZM, and Coast. Radio Roy has been closed and it is expected NZME will use Roy’s radio frequency to broadcast one of its other national radio brands (Gold, Flava, or Radio Hauraki) into Wānaka.“We’re thrilled to be welcoming Radio Wānaka to the NZME family, as well as Mike, Petrea, Hannah, Ali and John,” NZME’s general manager South Island regions Janine Tindall-Morice said. “Their local knowledge and experience in radio will be invaluable as we work together to continue to provide a voice for Wānaka residents and businesses.”Mike will host Radio Wānaka’s weekday breakfast/morning show from 6am-12pm with NZME announcer Peter Mac hosting the afternoon show.NZME is one of New Zealand’s largest media companies managing print, audio, and digital media.The sale of Radio Wānaka and Roy to NZME was effective from Tuesday February 1.PHOTO: Supplied

Local businesses feeling the strain of staff shortages say the current situation is not sustainable.Ignite Wānaka general manager Naomi Lindsay said a summer labour shortage was anticipated as the usual working holiday visa holders are not available to fill jobs.“With the borders closed, we are lacking the usual turnover of summer temp staff that many businesses rely on,” Naomi said. New World Three Parks co-owner Natashia Bartley said the combination of staffing woes and Covid “has become another large issue for running a business in the current climate”.  “In these unprecedented times, we’re now seeing unprecedented staffing shortages.”  She said it has always been difficult to find staff in Wānaka to replace the temporary student workers who resume their studies in February and March but it’s been worse this year.“Once we lose the students that help get us through the festive season each year then February and March have always been a challenge; [but] this year we have already been extremely short since June/July and now the students are starting to leave and there is no one looking for work.”Edgewater Resort Hotel has employment vacancies in every department.A summer casual employment fair held in early December in Wanaka successfully married a few unemployed people with local jobs but many businesses were still left with unfilled employment vacancies.Edgewater Resort Hotel employs around 70 staff but is currently operating well below its usual complement with vacancies across all departments, from cleaning to front of house, which have been hard to fill.Edgewater general manager Catherine Bone said while she is very grateful for the surge in visitors over recent weeks the resort’s workforce “was really under pressure to…keep up with demand”.  “The team did an amazing job and have been working so hard but, despite all [their recruiting] efforts, we are about 40 percent back on our usual workforce numbers for this time of year.”“We are noticing a huge gap in the market with a lack of backpackers who would usually backfill the full time team with seasonal positions. It has put an incredible amount of pressure on all departments,” she said. Catherine said they even considered reducing their levels of service but decided it wasn’t practicable and have just “managed somehow… but it is not sustainable long term”. Natashia said the New World Three Parks team has long relied on working holiday staff but with the government not issuing any working holiday visas there aren’t enough Kiwis needing work.“Along with other local businesses we are advertising in all avenues we can and the people are just not here.”“In my opinion, unless the government starts to issue working holiday visas again the current situation will continue to get much worse as many of our longer staying migrant workers are continuing to move on or return home,” she said.Naomi said Ignite is working with Queenstown’s Chamber of Commerce and council's economic development team, which established Mahi Queenstown Lakes, a labour force initiative, to investigate longer term labour force requirements.PHOTOS: Wānaka App

The UK’s largest outdoor retailer, the Mountain Warehouse, will be the anchor tenant in an 11-metre high, two-storey building being constructed on Sir Tim Wallis Drive at Wānaka’s Three Parks.The building will house four ground floor retail spaces and three upper floor tenancies, and the Mountain Warehouse will occupy 642.4m2 of the site, facing back towards New World Three Parks.“All the buildings along Sir Tim Wallis drive are going to be quite significant looking buildings; about two or three stories high. We’re going to make quite a statement with them,” Three Parks developer Allan Dippie (of Willowridge Developments) told the Wānaka App.And the Mountain Warehouse may not be the only Warehouse coming to Wānaka, Allan hinted.He said a Kmart is not planned for Three Parks, and added: “But one of their close competitors might be arriving.”“There’s quite a bit happening, and it’s coming together slowly and steadily,” he said.Willowridge commercial leasing spokesperson Mark Pittaway said the Mountain Warehouse, which has about 350 stores worldwide, “is showing a lot of faith in New Zealand”.Allan Dippie said the buildings along Sir Tim Wallis Drive will be “significant looking”.“This gives us the ability to start the construction of smaller retail units along Sir Tim Wallis Drive. The demand’s there; it’s really exciting times.”Allan said having New World and Mitre 10 at Three Parks has helped ease the usual Christmas and holiday congestion in Wānaka.“I’ve noticed particularly this Christmas with Three Parks existing it’s made locals’ life a lot more pleasurable at Christmas.“I think that’s quite a big change. People used to dread going into town at Christmas. Now you can cruise out there, and the supermarket can cope.”Allan said the building next to the supermarket which is close to completion will have five tenants, including Henry’s (liquor store) and Bike It Now (bike retail, tour, hire and workshop service).The resource consent for the Mountain Warehouse building was approved by the Queenstown Lakes District Council in October 2021.Mountain Warehouse was approached for comment.IMAGES: Supplied

Tarras Cherry Corp is using New Zealand-developed orchard management technologies to ensure workers are paid for the exact kilograms of cherries they harvest.The technology, which uses radio-frequency identification, was developed by Auckland based software company, Dataphyll.Orchard and project manager Ross Kirk said at a time when pickers were in short supply, investing in smart technologies was a way to attract and retain quality workers.“We want to lead the charge as an innovative and progressive operation throughout the supply chain.”He said the software provides an absolute volume of harvested fruit through scanning and weighing.The volume is then linked to the picker.“Pickers know in real-time how much they have picked and how much they will earn,” he said.Mr Kirk said as workers were paid per kilogram, there was an incentive to fill buckets.“A smart picker can earn well because the more they pick, the more they get paid and it pinpoints top performers who pick above the minimum and may be eligible for bonuses.”He said workers can keep track of their earnings via an app on their phone.The technology also meant there was no risk of pickers being paid for fruit someone else harvested.Mr Kirk said traceability would be the immediate benefit this season.“Over time, long-term data collection will allow orchard mapping to determine harvest volumes and ease control of fruit flow to the packhouse.”Dataphyll chief executive officer and co-founder Christoph Kistler said the technology was developed to pay pickers for performance, not attendance.“It tracks workers and buckets via ID tags, which interface with mobile devices and weigh stations in the orchard.”Mr Kistler said the software, developed initially for the berry industry in 2015, had been extended to meet Tarras Cherry Corp’s needs.The concept means the weight of harvested cherries is captured via a unique identifier on the bucket. There were also other benefits, he said.“Orchardists can review performance and production in real-time, highlight best performing workers, row-level yields and understand reject rates,” Mr Kistler said.

Countdown opened its Wānaka Metro store on Thursday December 23 and it is the grocery chain’s smallest store yet, at only 140 square metres.The store, Countdown’s first Metro in the South Island, is located on Ardmore Street at the repurposed BP service station site.Countdown director of property Matt Grainger said almost 500 online orders have made their way to Wānaka from Countdown Queenstown each week.“We’ve been serving a growing number of customers in the Wānaka community and it’s this growing demand that has driven our decision to bring not only more dedicated online shopping delivery and pick-up options to the area, but a small-sized, highly curated supermarket offering too,” he said.Metro manager Jason McQuoid, operations manager Aaron Murray, and landlord Allan Dippie.While initially operating as a small local store, a drive-through pick-up option for online shopping will be available in early 2022, and online delivery vans will be running from the store. “We’re really looking forward to offering even more flexibility for our Wānaka customers in how and when they choose to shop online with us, as well as providing a selected range of supermarket staples, fresh food and grab-and-go options,” Matt said. The new store will employ 14 full time team members and approximately 10 part time team members, with additional casual and part time opportunities likely over the peak summer and winter periods.Metro landlord Allan Dippie cut the ribbon at the opening of the store this morning.The Wānaka App asked Countdown to confirm a rumour that Countdown plans to build a full-size store in the Wānaka area in the near future. A Countdown spokesperson said the business was currently focussed on the Metro store and “don’t have any firm plans beyond that at this stage”.Countdown Wānaka Metro will be open from 7am to 10pm over summer. Online orders for Countdown Wānaka Metro will be fulfilled from Countdown Queenstown, meaning customers can access the full Countdown range for their shopping from January 19.PHOTOS: Wānaka App

Wānaka may be a small town but it still has some of the best food in the country according to industry experts. The prestigious Cuisine Good Food Awards have announced the first-round of their annual awards celebrating the best restaurants in New Zealand and Wānaka’s Kika has made the list.The tapas restaurant is one of three restaurants in Queenstown Lakes to be selected from 78 around the country; the others are the Sherwood and Amisfield, both in Queenstown.Cuisine selects more than 40 experts located around the country, led by food and dining expert Kerry Tyack, to anonymously judge restaurants nationwide throughout the year and determine the list and winners.“It’s always been important to us to celebrate restaurants right across the country,” Kerry said.Judges said Kika, known for its adventurous combinations like a black pudding butty with pork floss and quince aioli, “exudes warmth and welcome”.Judges said Kika owner/chef James Stapley kept the menu fresh with seasonal changes.“Owner/chef James Stapley regularly changes the menu to marry with the seasons,” judges said, noting that a well-assembled wine list “widens our smiles”.But the accolade isn’t a first for Kika - it made the list in 2017, 2018 and 2019 (the awards didn’t take place in 2020 due to Covid-19).Cuisine editor Kelli Brett said restaurants deserved more respect than ever for continuing to produce great food despite the challenges of Covid-19.“This year we have navigated ever-changing restrictions to uncover New Zealand’s best dining experiences and have gained even more respect for an industry that has shown great creativity and resilience,” Kelli said. “Despite huge challenges, it has bounced back and is forging ahead with even brighter plans for the future.”She urged Kiwis to put the top restaurants on their ‘must try’ lists. The first in a two-part list, Cuisine will reveal its full top restaurant list and category awards winners at a digital awards ceremony on February 8. See all the first-round winners here.PHOTOS: Supplied

Wānaka piemakers Kai Pai Bakery have won two awards from the 2021 NZ Vegan Pie Awards in Auckland.Kai Pai Bakery took home awards for best vegetable pie and the commercial award for their vegan roast vegetable and cashew curry pie. Kai Pai owner Ian Warner says the accolades are a testament to Kai Pai’s dedication to developing excellent flavour combinations and catering to different consumer markets. “We are thrilled to be recognised for two of our vegan pies at these prestigious national awards,” he said. “Our head baker Jason Danielson and the team are very talented at what they do and it’s wonderful to receive these accolades for our small family business down in Wānaka.”More than 70 vegan pies from around New Zealand were judged as part of the awards.Kai Pai also received six top ten awards from the Bakels Supreme Pie Awards in July, including a Gold Award for its Chicken, Leek and Bacon pie, and took home more awards than any other bakery in the South Island.See also: ‘Kai Pai pies are a winner’The introduction of vegan pies has been successful for the bakery, which produces 25,000 pies a day from its purpose-built Wānaka premise. The Vegan Society national coordinator Amanda Sorrenson says the NZ Vegan Pie Awards aim to raise the profile and the excellence of vegan food in Aotearoa.“Pies are very much a Kiwi tradition and five years ago a vegan would have had a hard time finding a vegan pie anywhere,” she said. “There are now literally hundreds of vegan pies available to Kiwis around the whole of NZ and the Vegan Pie Awards showcases the best of the best.”PHOTO: Supplied

Wānaka communications agency Scope Media has been celebrated at a national level.The agency received a silver award in the ‘Best Use of Media Relations’ category at the New Zealand Commercial Communications Council’s annual awards.Scope Media was also a finalist in ‘Best Strategic Thinking’, ‘Most Innovative Campaign’ and ‘Best Strategic Thinking’ for the campaign, which promoted the new Home for Healthier Business brand, which arose out of Queenstown Lakes District Council Economic Development Unit’s (EDU) response to Covid-19. Scope Media partnered with Queenstown design and advertising agency Feast Creative to deliver the project for the EDU. Feast Creative also shares the accolades. Home for Healthier Business is a pilot that aims to attract a small number of entrepreneurs and team builders to make the move to the district, in a bid to help diversify the tourism-driven economy.The key elements at the heart of the campaign include a website (which acts as an inspirational and functional tool for people looking to move to the district), case studies to showcase other team builders who have already walked the path, and a stakeholder relations plan that helps the local Queenstown and Wānaka communities spread the word to potential candidates. Scope Media managing director Celia Crosbie said the award is testament to the hard work of the team of five Wānaka-based marketing communications consultants, as well as the Feast Creative team and QLDC’s dedicated EDU team.“This has been a really worthwhile project and it was a privilege to be able to deliver a communications strategy and quality, authentic content that achieved great results for the EDU,” Celia said. “Media relations was a critical element of the campaign, to get the message out to a wider audience. Our team comprises former journalists so it’s an area of expertise we pride ourselves on. It’s an absolute honour to be recognised alongside top-tier global and national agencies who are doing amazing things for their clients, too.” Scope Media was the only South Island communications agency to be named as a finalist or win an award.PHOTO: Supplied

Silverlight Studios’ proposal for an enormous film park six kilometres east of Wānaka has been given the green light this afternoon (Wednesday December 8).Buildings as tall as 17m high have been approved for the ambitious $280M film park venture which is set to include replicas of sites in New York, Venice and Paris, alongside a variety of filming, post-production tourist and ancillary buildings and up to 10 sound stages.The approval for the project comes 96 days after the application was lodged. It was approved by an expert consenting panel appointed by the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) under the Covid-19 Recovery (Fast-track Consenting) Act 2020. In its decision document, the panel said the “unique” project was a New Zealand-first.“It is essentially a film park that accommodates and provides for all aspects of film making to increase New Zealand’s appeal as a film making destination.”Silverlight Studios is owned by film industry veterans Ra Vincent, Jonathan Harding and Mike Wallis.Decision documents said bulk earthworks on the scenic 332ha site near Wānaka Airport could begin as soon as 2022.Construction of sound stages, an ‘Italian village’ and a ‘seaside village' could take place in 2023; further sound stages, the Paris replica and film tourism sites could be built in 2024; and the New York and Venice replicas in 2025 and 2026 respectively.Earthworks could begin next year at the 332ha film park site, located 6km east of Wānaka. PHOTO: Realestate.co.nzThe company will need to meet a series of conditions, including a requirement to construct temporary on-site accommodation for at least 50 construction workers before any work starts on the site.It will also need to provide a public walking and cycling track running east to west through the site and extending to Stevenson Road and either create a second track running north to south through the site or contribute $900,000 to the construction of the wider active transport network. Plans for the film park were first made public in March this year and it has received endorsements from the district’s mayor Jim Boult and deputy mayor Calum Macleod, the town’s tourism organisation (Lake Wānaka Tourism), its chamber of commerce Ignite Wānaka, and Film Otago-Southland. Others raised concerns about potential increases in noise, traffic, light pollution and visual amenity from the film park, including Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) who advised panel members to “carefully weigh up against the potential adverse effects of the proposal on landscape and the rural character of the surrounding area”.Read more here about the expert consenting panel’s decision to approve the Wānaka film park proposal. The expert consenting panel is considering a second application from Silverlight Studios to provide on-site accommodation for the cast and crew. The decision is due in the new year.

A major expansion of the Lake Hāwea commercial zone has been approved by the Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) and could be up and running by next summer.The two-storey development, by Matt Laming’s Lake Hāwea Holdings Ltd, may include a restaurant, cinema, six retail spaces, a supermarket and a medical clinic, with a total floor area of 1,666m2.The development on Lakeview Terrace will be located next to the existing Hāwea Store and Kitchen.Also approved are eight visitor accommodation units (four one-bed units and four two-bed units) and parking.The existing Hāwea Store and Kitchen is separately owned. PHOTO: Supplied“I’m bloody relieved to be honest,” Matt Laming told the Wānaka App. He said the application process had taken at least 11 months, which was “far longer than it should have”.Matt said he hoped to break ground on the new development by April at the earliest, although it could be as late as June.“Our real goal now is to have things open and running by next summer. If we can achieve that, that’s fantastic,” he said.A second resource application for a supermarket on a neighbouring site is currently being vetted by the QLDC. Project H Ltd proposes to construct a SuperValue (Woolworths) supermarket on land between Bodkin Street and Parry Crescent.Read more: New supermarket proposed for busy communityMatt said he didn’t think it made sense to have potentially two or three grocery stores side by side in that part of Lake Hāwea, given “the future growth is away from there”.However, he said grocery is not a given for the newly approved development, and there are no grocery contracts in place.Lake Hāwea Holdings Ltd sought to re-develop the Lakeview Terrace site in line with the Local Shopping Centre Zone, which enables small scale commercial and business activities in largely residential environments to reduce the need for locals to travel longer distances to town centres to purchase convenience goods and access services. The QLDC agreed the Lake Hāwea Holdings Ltd application will be processed on a non-notified basis.

Not many tourism businesses have been expanding since New Zealand’s borders closed to international visitors, but one local adventure attraction is bucking the trend.Not only is it expanding, Wānaka’s Wildwire (a via ferrata waterfall climb) is embracing regenerative tourism with its new canyoning adventure.Wildwire managing director Mark Morrison said Covid has given the business “the gift of time” to develop a sustainable product that gives back to both the environment, community, and the business’s staff.Moving beyond sustainability Wānaka is embracing the ethos of regenerative tourism, the idea that tourism leaves a place better than it was before. “This means looking at ways for tourism to improve our place, socially, environmentally, culturally, while still providing economic return; reducing the strain on a destination through a regenerative way of thinking,” Mark said.The abseiling adventure will include native planting and clearing predator traps. As part of the new Wildwire adventure, participants will plant a native seedling and clear predator traps along the way.Lake Wānaka Tourism general manager Tim Barke said it has been “uplifting to see progress and expansion in a way that represents the core values of our place” after a difficult few years in the tourism industry.“It’s inspirational to see Wildwire moving forward with such a unique offering that embodies the regenerative approach,” he said.Mark said he was excited to offer people an exciting abseiling adventure as well as “an opportunity to create a legacy”. “Imagine this area in 50 years’ time, and to reflect that we all would have had a part in making it a better place.”Wildwire’s The Full Canyon adventure includes a helicopter ride to the top, 350 metres of waterfall abseiling, and an 80metre zip line to finish. There are two options for an easier or full-adrenaline adventure.PHOTOS: Supplied

Local businesses are in the ‘orange’ setting in the new Covid Protection Framework from Friday December 3.Most businesses are adapting to the new requirements, but some businesses have decided to close their doors, while others will operate with more restrictions to accommodate people who are not vaccinated.Local cafe owner (and Wānaka Community Board member) Chris Hadfield said while he doesn’t “necessarily agree” with vaccine mandates, he and his staff have agreed to follow the rules.“Not only that but we have engaged in conversation with all our regular customers (vaxxed or not) and we are united in our approach. In addition, if we follow other countries then this will be temporary and the new normal will come into full swing.Let’s stop this divisive talk and work through this together,” he said.Some businesses, such as the food truck Dripping Bowl, have decided to welcome unvaccinated customers and will operate contactless pickups in accordance with the framework. Dripping Bowl co-owner Jesse Herbert said on social media they chose to serve everyone regardless of vaccination status and their staff supported the decision.Dripping Bowl operated contactless pickups during Level 3 lockdown in May last year.Southern District Health Board medical officer of health Susan Jack told the Wānaka App businesses which choose to accommodate unvaccinated people are “absolutely within their rights”.“Because we’re going into orange if people choose not to use the vaccine pass there will be certain restrictions on how they operate,” she said.Others, such as the Tarras Country Cafe and The Body Garage (pilates and yoga studio and massage therapy clinic) have chosen to close their doors rather than comply with the restrictions.Under orange, gymnasiums and other member-based businesses like dance studios and sports coaching, can only operate with vaccinated staff and clients.The Fit Collective has advised its members its facilities are open to vaccinated members but will ensure it will continue to offer sessions remotely via Zoom.“We will be brainstorming ideas as to how we can help keep you connected if you choose not to vaccinate,” Fit Collective’s Kim Parry said in a message to members.Kim said it has been a tough couple of years in business.“Like other businesses I have spoken to there is a huge financial impact of losing customers/ members/clients along with the emotional impact of having to implement this system. It is not an easy time for anyone regardless of what side of the fence that you are on. I really feel for those who have chosen not to vaccinate, however I also feel a responsibility to those who have chosen to vaccinate and think that they also deserve respect in the decisions that they have made.” PHOTOS: Wānaka App

The Youth Hostel Association of New Zealand (YHA) says it has been left with no option but to permanently close the doors on its 11 managed hostels, including the YHA Wānaka on Brownston Street, on Monday December 15.YHA New Zealand is a not-for-profit association that was established in 1932 in Canterbury.The extended Auckland lockdown and no prospects of an international visitor market this summer has created market conditions that place YHA in an unsustainable financial position, the YHA said in a statement.“This is a sad time for our staff, our members and our industry. YHA has been a cornerstone of youth travel in New Zealand for 89 years,” YHA general manager Simon Cartwright said.“It has evolved with the fast moving changes of the industry and lead industry thinking both domestically and among the international network. YHA was looking forward to a bright future in 2019 having just opened a new hostel in Tekapo. Unfortunately, the Covid-19 pandemic has just gone on too long for us to be able to ride it out. Today is a sad day for tourism in New Zealand.”YHA Wānaka currently has three staff who will be affected by the closure. Pre Covid up to ten staff were employed.In late 2020 the YHA completed a restructure to take the organisation through to an expected recovery period over the 2021/22 summer period, while continuing to maximise its domestic revenue.The organisation, traditionally servicing international youth visitors, doubled its domestic guest nights over the past 12 months as it reoriented towards more domestic groups and family stays. Unfortunately, the significant domestic growth has not been sufficient to offset the loss in international guest revenue, the YHA said.The YHA national board and senior management have worked closely with YHA’s primary lender to ensure all prepaid bookings are fully refunded and staff entitlements are retained through the closure period.“YHA staff have been incredible during extraordinary times,” Simon said. “It is an ending none of us wanted but we want to make sure we exit in a way which ensures our people are not left out of pocket.”YHA has a network of 11 hostels it manages directly; YHA Auckland International, YHA Rotorua, YHA Wellington, YHA Christchurch, YHA Lake Tekapo, YHA Aoraki Mt Cook, Wanaka, YHA Queenstown Central, YHA Queenstown Lakefront, YHA Franz Josef and YHA Te Anau. All these hostels will close on December 15.Twenty-three individually owned and operated associate properties will continue to operate as normal.PHOTO: Wānaka App

Students at two local primary schools are now sharing their campuses with bees in a new community initiative. The new ‘Hives in Schools’ programme aims to both increase local biodiversity by pollination and offer a unique learning opportunity for students. Local rent-a-hive company Tiaki Bees has installed the beehives at Wānaka Primary School and te Kura O Take Kārara.Owner Barna Szocs says bees play an integral role in the local ecosystem and the younger they are taught about their importance the better.“The idea is that these schools will have a wonderful educational experience,” Barna said. “Students will be able to immerse themselves in the full lifecycle of the bees, understand how they make honey and why they are so important.”Wānaka Primary School and te Kura O Take Kārara now have beehives on campus.The hives have been placed on specified areas so the flight path of the bees does not disrupt students playing outside and careful thought has gone into the location so there is no greater risk for those with allergies, Barry said. “[Children] will learn to be relaxed around bees and be able to don childrens bee suits, come close to the hive and look inside the boxes,” he said.Natural kids craft brand Honeysticks has co-sponsored the beehives and owner Will Radford said the importance of bees needs to be showcased more to the younger generation. “Bees are vital to the local ecosystem and we support any initiative that focuses on educating people around that.”The schools will receive support from Tiaki Bees and they will receive the honey produced from the hives, which could be used for fundraising initiatives. PHOTOS: Supplied

RealNZ chief experience officer Bridget Legnavsky will play a role in a new national group created to support tourism. The long-time Wānaka resident has been named as a member of the tourism Industry Transformation Plan (ITP) leadership group, tourism minister Stuart Nash announced yesterday (November 17).“The disruption of the global Covid-19 pandemic presents an opportunity to step back and work collaboratively on a vision for tourism of the future,” Stuart said. “The Tourism ITP will focus on actions that all partners can take to address skills and career questions in the industry.” The full list of ITP leadership members is yet to be confirmed but Bridget has been named alongside 12 other members and three co-chairs.The co-chairs include Gráinne Trout, who is the chair of Tourism Industry Aotearoa; John Crocker, the national secretary of Unite Union; and Karl Woodhead, the general manager of the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment’s tourism branch.Bridget, formerly Cardrona-Treble Cone’s general manager, was recently promoted to the new position of chief experience officer with responsibility for all Wayfare Group experiences. She and the experienced ITP team’s first priorities will be skills shortages and career progression in the tourism and hospitality sector, Stuart said.“The first stage of the ITP will focus on ‘better work’ and developing the tourism workforce,” he said.“Like any industry, success depends on those working within it. This means investing more in people, deepening the talent pool, lifting skill levels and ultimately providing better work for those in the tourism and hospitality industries.” The second priority for the ITP will be the environmental challenges posed by tourism, Stuart said.That priority will build on work started by the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, the Tourism Futures Taskforce, and the NZ Aotearoa Government Tourism Strategy.“There is a huge opportunity for all of us with a stake in tourism to support and develop different pathways for people keen on a career in the industry,” Stuart said.He expected to receive a first draft of the ITP’s ‘Better Work Action Plan’ for tourism in the second quarter of 2022, after which the group will consult widely. “I’m confident the ITP will transform the industry in partnership across government, business, workers and Māori. Tourism has had its challenges but I echo the Prime Minister’s recent words: he rā ki tua – better times are coming,” Stuart said.PHOTO: Supplied