Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) has announced the members of the regenerative recovery advisory group, which is tasked with looking at recovery in the Queenstown Lakes district in the long term.

The taskforce is complementary to the recently formed mayoral taskforce on tourism and short term recovery.

The new advisory group will contribute to the council’s post-COVID 19 recovery plan.

Five people from the Upper Clutha are in the ten person group: governance advisor Simon Telfer, engineer and resilience researcher Erica Seville, community advocate Kathy Dedo, sustainability advocate Monique Kelly, and Judge Annis Somerville of Kai Tahu.

“The Regenerative Recovery Advisory Group represents a wide range of backgrounds from across the Queenstown Lakes,” mayor Jim Boult said. “The final composition is five women and five men, four from the Upper Clutha, one who will take a district-wide view and five from Wakatipu.”

Other members include Annis Somerville, Julian Knights, Leslie Van Gelder, Neil Jacobstein, Rod Drury and Roger Sharpe.

A youth position and a chair are still to be appointed to the group.

The new group will look at innovative ideas for the future of the community. PHOTO: Wanaka App

“We are extremely lucky that these people have offered their time and expertise to this important work,” Jim said.

Along with the taskforce on tourism and short term recovery, the new advisory group will be “instrumental” in ensuring the district restores and enhances its pre-COVID community and economic wellbeing, Jim said.

The tourism taskforce includes the following Wanaka residents: Calum Macleod, James Helmore, Bridget Legnavsky, and Kathy Dedo (who is a member of both the taskforce and the advisory group).

The new group will look at innovative ideas for the future of the whole community.

Council said the advisory group was one facet of a wider approach to the district’s recovery programme. 

It is also working on labour redeployment and further opportunities for job creation, community support through the Kia Kaha Queenstown Lakes hub and plans to launch a whole of community ideas portal in mid-July.