The latest round of consultation on the Wanaka masterplan closed on June 30 - but the council has declined to make the submissions public until the Wanaka Community Board (WCB) agenda is published in two weeks.

Two weeks ago the Wanaka App asked when these submissions would be made public on the council’s website and was advised by council staff that it was waiting to present the data together with the next stage of the masterplan to the WCB.

“We’re conscious that there have been sensitivities along the way with regards to various aspects of the concepts and ideas. We think it’s really important that everyone participating in this process – including the community – gets the full picture so that conversations about the Wanaka CBD can be fully informed and constructive,” a council spokesperson said. 

Wanaka Central Business District Property Owners Group (POG) spokesperson Roger Gardiner said the council is not encouraging a transparent process by withholding this information until its staff have had a chance to analyse it.

“We would like to do our own analysis as well,” Roger said. Council needs “to be open and honest with the information. 

It’s difficult to find a reason why, having submitted online, that the data cannot be made available promptly,” Roger said. “Are they trying to postpone any analysis that suggests the public is highly critical as to process and concepts presented?” 

The Wanaka Community Reference Group, which was established to reflect a community perspective on the guiding principles and design options of the masterplan as they have evolved, has a different perspective. The group’s role has now expired but its chair Kathy Dedo said with over 1300 submissions it would take quite a while to collate and analyse.

“I don’t think council is hiding anything or trying to control the narrative, but rather is doing its best to manage a complex process that combines technical expertise, community opinion, and funding challenges,” she said.  

“So I’m not surprised that it’s taken some time,” Kathy said. “I would hope the data will be accompanied by an explanation of how the council project team is responding to the opinions and suggestions that people have offered.”

She said she understood the submissions would be made publicly available on August 12.

To date the only data provided by the council regarding the approximately 1,400 submissions received indicates 98 per cent of the respondents were residents or occasional residents and the vast majority making the submissions (63%) were 45 years and older. Four per cent were aged between 19-29 years, 14 per cent aged between 30-44 years and 15 per cent were aged under 18 years.

PHOTO: Wanaka App