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Long term vision for Luggate to be revealed
Long term vision for Luggate to be revealed

18 March 2024, 4:08 PM

Two ‘community visioning’ workshops held in Luggate last winter have resulted in a draft long-term vision for the area, which will be presented at Whare Mahana (Luggate’s new memorial centre) this week.More than 100 people attended the workshops last year, and locals have been working on a report on the outcomes for the past six months. The last community plan for Luggate was written in 2003.“In the short term, the adequacy of water and other infrastructure may act as a natural brake on the rate of that growth so it’s a great time for the community to get ahead of some of that,” Shaping Our Future (SOF) executive officer John Glover said last July. Luggate’s new long-term vision for the town includes recommendations on water infrastructure, community, the state highway corridor, reserves, shops and services, tracks and trails, environment and biodiversity, and heritage. PHOTO: Wānaka App“[Luggate has] a great hall, but what’s next on the list?”Read more: Luggate community to decide future prioritiesSOF, in conjunction with the Luggate Community Association, is hosting two public meetings this week to present the new draft community vision.The document includes a series of recommendations. “The report describes a new long-term vision for the town along with 26 recommendations for action relating to water infrastructure, community, the state highway corridor, reserves, shops and services, tracks and trails, environment and biodiversity, and heritage,” John said. “The purpose of these meetings is to present the vision and recommendations and make sure that they address what the community told us last year. Both meetings cover the same ground – we just wanted to give a couple of options for attending.  “Once the report has been signed off, we can help support the community with the next steps towards implementing the recommendations.”The meetings are being held at Whare Mahana on Wednesday March 19 (7-9pm) and Sunday March 24 (10-12pm).

Vision for a creative community
Vision for a creative community

18 March 2024, 4:06 PM

A draft creative and culture strategy for the district is now available for public comment.The strategy has been developed by Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC), regional arts organisation Three Lakes Cultural Trust (TLCT), Lakes District Museum and Kāi Tahu.“This ten-year vision, driven by the community, is intended to help create a future where creativity and culture play an ever-increasing and important role in enriching the lives of both the people who live here and those who visit,” TLCT chair Gizelle Regan said. “It also aims to diversify the district’s economy and make it a more attractive place to live, work and set up business.”Gizelle said conversations with creatives, educators, administrators, community groups, businesses, key stakeholders, and youth have helped inform the strategy. Residents can read the draft strategy and share feedback online or attend a community hui on April 11 to learn more about it.QLDC community partnerships manager Marie Day said the actions in the draft strategy “are intended to ensure that the district remains a special place for generations to come”. It intends to enhance, support and celebrate several aspects of wellbeing including social, community, economic, environmental and individual, she said.A steering group for the strategy (then named the arts, culture and heritage strategy) was formed in February last year and community engagement took place last April and May. The steering group is now keen to hear what the community thinks of the draft strategy now out for public input. TLCT head Samantha Kirk said. “Make sure your friends and whānau have their say too,” she said.“The more voices that contribute, the more representative of our place and our people the final strategy will be.”Residents can read the full draft strategy and provide feedback here.  They can also attend a community hui at the Wānaka Community Hub on Thursday (April 11), 6pm-8pm. PHOTO: Deanna Gerlach

Art prize final fundraiser tally of $35K
Art prize final fundraiser tally of $35K

18 March 2024, 4:04 PM

Craigs Aspiring Art Prize 2024 raised a whopping $35,000, organisers have confirmed.The exhibition and gala, which took place over three days in January, featured works by artists from all over New Zealand as well as local talent.“Craigs Aspiring Art Prize is delighted to announce we’ve raised $30,000 for Holy Family Catholic School, along with an additional $5,000 for the Aspiring Art Foundation,” organisers said this week.“The funds raised for the school will enhance the children’s educational resources and support additional resources.”Some of the art on display at the January exhibition.The donation to the art foundation will support art-based programmes at the school. Parents of Holy Family students are behind the annual art prize, which has become an important fundraiser for the school.In January co-organiser Leigh Cooper told the Wānaka App more people visited this year’s exhibition than ever before and dozens of pieces of art were sold.“It was the best we’ve had in terms of getting people through the doors and everybody was really impressed with the quality and variety of the work,” she said.She had hoped the fundraising would be enough to support art programmes.In the end the art prize raised the same amount as a year before, with the same distribution to the school resources and art-related programmes in 2024.Next year’s Craigs Aspiring Art Prize will take place from January 10.PHOTOS: Wānaka App

Festival of Sport wraps up
Festival of Sport wraps up

18 March 2024, 4:00 PM

A club breakfast was one of the highlights among the many events held during Wānaka’s festival of sport last week.Takaro ran from Monday (March 11) to Sunday (March 17) with many local clubs opening their doors to give people the chance to get a taste of their sport. Other events included a 5km Rainbow Run and a breakfast for local clubs, Sport Central community sport advisor Tiny Carruthers said.“We think all the people that came along to the club breakfast got something out of it,” Tiny told the Wānaka App.Sport Central community sports advisor Tiny Carruthers.Sport Central also got great feedback on the Friday’s (March 15) Rainbow Run, even though hailstorm and rain before the event meant numbers were down on last year.“One small boy said it was his ‘best day ever’,” Tiny said, “and one elderly person who did it the year before said they had such a good time they wanted to come back”.As for the ‘have a go’ sessions designed to introduce people to a new sport “there were definitely some successes and some things that weren’t as popular”.Pickleball seemed to be the pick of the bunch, with an excellent turnout. “That just reflects the popularity of that sport at the moment,” Tiny said. The annual Takaro festival is billed as a celebration of sport, active recreation and play. Tiny said the goal of the event was to show the public the wide range of sporting opportunities available in the Upper Clutha. This is the second year Takaro has run in the week-long, ‘open door’ format; previously it was a one-day event at the Wānaka Recreation Centre.Tiny said numbers were lower this year than last year, which may have been affected by timing and weather.Developing the festival is an ongoing process “and we will continue to refine it”, Tiny said.He thanked the clubs and volunteers who were involved with Takaro this year.Sport Central operates under the umbrella organisation of Sport Otago and it supports clubs and aims to increase participation in sports.PHOTOS: Supplied

‘What if the ambulance is out of town?’ Locals raise health concerns
‘What if the ambulance is out of town?’ Locals raise health concerns

17 March 2024, 4:06 PM

Wānaka-Upper Clutha Community Board (WUCCB) chair Simon Telfer has been “inundated with questions” ahead of a public meeting this Wednesday (March 20) on health services.  The WUCCB decided to facilitate a public meeting about the Upper Clutha’s strained medical health services to get “questions answered on behalf of the community”. Despite a rapidly expanding population (including many retired and elderly people), the Upper Clutha is served by only three GP practices, two of which reduced after hours care last winter. Many locals have reported finding it difficult to see a doctor at short notice.“Overwhelmingly people are concerned about after hours care and emergencies that may happen during the night,” Simon said.Community board chair Simon Telfer said there will be an announcement about day surgery at the meeting. PHOTO: Jeannine Tuffin“What if the ambulance is called out of town and a cardiac arrest happens?”Go deeper: Medical services ‘under strain’ subject of public meeting “Others are asking about the equity for members of the community in having to pay for routine health services that are provided free of charge elsewhere,” he said. “Also the time and burden on families when there is a need to travel to Dunedin for short appointments and procedures.”Simon said there is frustration in the community about the wait times to book an appointment with a GP; residents have criticised the lack of mental health services; and people are disappointed that the planned primary birthing unit is still under construction.Speakers at the public meeting on Wednesday March 20 (from 7-8pm at the Lake Wānaka Centre) will include Dunstan Hospital clinical director Jonathon Wills, Aspiring Medical Centre GP Dr Fiona MacLean, Te Whatu Ora Southern chief medical officer David Gow, Hato Hone St John Central Otago area operations manager David Baillie, and Te Whatu Ora Southern group director of operations Hamish Brown.“We will also have an announcement about a new health focussed development that will provide day surgery options for local residents,” Simon said. “We are expecting a strong turnout so attendees are encouraged to arrive early for a 7pm start.”Attendees should send questions in advance either to community board members or via the event page on the Queenstown Lakes District Council website.

‘Poo trucks’ a surprise to community association
‘Poo trucks’ a surprise to community association

17 March 2024, 4:04 PM

Eight loads of waste are being trucked each week from Lake Hāwea’s Longview subdivision to Wānaka’s wastewater system (Project Pure) and the council has confirmed this will continue as the subdivision develops - to the surprise of the Hāwea Community Association (HCA).The issue was raised at last week’s Wānaka Upper Clutha Community Board meeting by Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) property and infrastructure general manager Tony Avery.Tony told the Wānaka App that trucking wastewater from Longview was “a response to limitations in capacity of the Hāwea Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP)”. “This began in late 2022, resulting in trips roughly every two to three days towards the end of last year. A larger truck in use since then has helped reduce truck movements to roughly four times a day for two days a week (i.e. approximately eight loads per week),” he said.“Trucking is expected to continue in line with ongoing development at Longview.”The planned pipeline connecting Project Pure to Lake Hāwea is estimated to be completed in 2028. PHOTO: SuppliedHāwea Community Association (HCA) chair Cherilyn Walthew said the information was “a bit of a surprise to the HCA”.“To date, the poo trucks have only been rumour[s], and surprising ones at that, given our agreement in the Environment Court.”She said during recent mediation between QLDC, Otago Regional Council and the HCA, all parties agreed that new consents needed to be subject to having connections to council owned and operated reticulated wastewater treatment and disposal systems. Go deeper: Potential and pain on Hāwea’s ‘path to development’“Both ourselves and Otago Regional Council insisted that it be written into the District Plan as per the agreement above,” she said.“It's a bit of a surprise that they have reverted to poo trucks.”Cherilyn said the HCA has asked Hāwea based councillor CodyTucker to question QLDC about the issue. Tony said the planned pipeline connecting Project Pure to Lake Hāwea is estimated to be completed in 2028, and QLDC is “actively looking at ways to speed up its design and construction”.He said the wastewater transfer costs are being met by the Longview developer, Universal Developments. Wastewater from the existing township is not trucked and continues to be treated at the WWTP.

Mural to bring Kahu Youth space to life
Mural to bring Kahu Youth space to life

17 March 2024, 4:00 PM

A series of creative workshops with Upper Clutha youth will help inform the design of a mural set to be painted at the new Kahu Youth space at Paetara Aspiring Central in May.Local artist Chrissy Wickes - who has created murals at the Dinosaur Park, Wānaka Primary School and other Upper Clutha locations - has been employed by the Upper Clutha Youth Council to host the workshops and lead the mural project.Kahu Youth Trust volunteer manager Joanna Lewis said its benefits would be two-fold: both helping transform the new space and bolstering Upper Clutha Youth Council numbers.“We are waiting for a total refit - we still have a bare space at the moment,” Joanna told the Wānaka App.She said concept plans for Kahu Youth’s new space have been drawn up and contractors have been approached but there is still lots of work to do to complete it.The mural, which will run the length of one interior wall, will go a long way in bringing the space to life.Joanna said the Upper Clutha Youth Council - which is mentored by Kahu Youth - received funding support for the mural from the Otago Community Trust Rangitahi Led Fund. “We are in the process of building our numbers at the moment and hoping the mural project will be a good way of finding some new members who really want to see [the] youth voice represented in the community,” Joanna said.The project was launched with a focus group meeting late last month that included councillor Cody Tucker, Wai Wānaka’s Eva Fernandez, Community Network/LINK’s Yvonne Walker, Wild Self’s Sonya Waters and Kahu Youth Māori representative Imogen Smith.Upper Clutha Youth Council and Kahu Youth also displayed a selection of Chrissy’s work and photos of the space at the Wānaka A&P Show.“We have had good interest so far,” Joanna said. “The more times we can put it in front of people, the better the response will be in the end I think.”Upper Clutha youth are encouraged to attend the upcoming mural workshops.They will take place on March 27, April 10, April 29, May 5 and May 13, all at Paetara Aspiring Central from 3.30pm-5.30pm.Joanna said the mural will be painted on May 20.PHOTO: Supplied

Opinion: The maths don’t add up
Opinion: The maths don’t add up

16 March 2024, 4:00 PM

It’s obvious to everyone in Wānaka area that our population is growing, but what’s surprising is that there are some quite different views about how quickly we are growing.I was involved in discussions with the Ministry of Education in 2015 when we were looking at future schooling requirements for the area. We were told at the time that there was evidence that Wānaka was no longer growing. The numbers that were being used were the 2008 and 2013 census figures. Local school boards were able to give the very clear message that these numbers did not give the full picture and the ministry agreed that new schooling provision was needed. The ministry then produced a growth plan for the area in 2019. In this plan they stated that the Wānaka area could reach as many as 16,800 people by 2028. Andrew HowardWe exceeded 17,200 late last 2023.Read more: Upper Clutha population pushes past 17,000So, we are currently growing at about twice the pace the ministry expected which has significant implications for our growing schools.Queenstown Lakes District Council is currently predicting 2.2 percent growth per annum over the next 10 years. This is the high growth scenario provided by Stats NZ. Yet we know that between 2013 and 2023 we experienced 6.2 percent growth per annum. Using council figures we would expect the Wānaka area to be home to around 23,000 people by 2033. Using the historical growth figures (and I don’t see any reason this will change) I would expect us to be around 33,000 by 2033. This is a massive difference that has serious implications. Unfortunately, organisations like the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Health, and Waka Kotahi will use the forecast growth to plan infrastructure for our region. We are seeing how inadequate this is through roading, housing, medical care and many other issues. With the long term plan coming up for consultation it is vital that we, as a community, use every opportunity to express to council and other agencies that this growth is real and dramatic. Andrew Howard is a Wānaka retail and HR manager; a former chair of the Wānaka Business Chamber and former board chair of Wānaka Primary School.Do you have an opinion on an issue affecting the Upper Clutha that you’d like to share? Let our editor know ([email protected]).PHOTOS: Supplied

New bridge, trails for Stoney Creek
New bridge, trails for Stoney Creek

15 March 2024, 4:06 PM

Construction of a new bridge across Stoney Creek near the Wānaka Watersports Facility began earlier this week (March 11) as part of a project to improve the Wānaka to Glendhu Bay track.The project also includes two new sections of track. The current unformed track beside the Watersports Facility cuts through the Stoney Creek reserve car park to connect to the existing wooden footbridge, which will be removed when the new bridge is completed. The new bridge and associated gravel track is located closer to the lakeside to provide a safer route, separating track users from the car parking activity. The plan indicates the location of the two new tracks and the new bridge. IMAGE: SuppliedA second new track connects directly with the existing asphalt footpath beside Mt Aspiring Road and will follow the western edge of Stoney Creek to provide access to the foreshore without having to go through the car park.Wānaka-Upper Clutha Community Board chair Simon Telfer said the bridge and connecting lakefront trail will cater for recreational cyclists, visitors and sightseers “because everyone wants to bike beside the lake, not beside the road”.“The new bridge is needed because of the continual conflict on the existing narrow one given [the] volume of walkers, bikers and Wānaka Tree sightseers. It also spits people out into the centre of a busy car park,” Simon said.The second new path alongside the creek formalises access to the Roys Bay lakefront track for people coming from Wānaka’s west side, such as Meadowstone, he said.“If we don't provide that pathway then people…coming from that side of town have to access the lakefront pathway by biking through the area where all the cars are parking and reversing and where it gets very congested. The new bridge will be located closer to the lake than the existing wooden bridge. PHOTO: Wānaka App“This is a simple and pragmatic gravel path to get them on to the lakefront track in a safe and easy manner,” Simon said.When asked why the existing asphalt path beside Mt Aspiring Road wasn’t expanded to match the paths from Wānaka’s CBD to the Mt Aspiring Road car park rather than constructing a new path, Simon said the two paths had different purposes.The lakefront one is for recreational users, visitors and tourism sightseeing.“The main, wide lakefront path that weaves through the trees has a completely different function than this narrower side access path,” he said. “The asphalt path tends to be used by locals [commuting], trying to get from A to B as quickly as possible.”And, as more than half of the project’s $700K budget was being funded by a $432,000 grant from the Tourism Infrastructure Fund (TIF), the project needed to meet tourism expectations, he said.The contractors, Cromwell-based earthmoving company M3 Contracting Ltd, will be working in stages. Their work will be confined behind barriers allowing the Stoney Creek car park to remain open and access for walking/cycling to continue, Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) said in a Facebook post.The work is expected to be completed by early June 2024.

Investment would continue if Aurora sold
Investment would continue if Aurora sold

15 March 2024, 4:04 PM

Consumers would still be protected if Dunedin City Council (DCC) goes ahead with a proposal to sell Aurora Energy, both say.Aurora Energy supplies electricity to homes, farms and businesses across Queenstown Lakes and the wider Otago region.Earlier this week DCC said it planned to consult the public over a proposal to sell the council-owned company and make a decision on whether or not to sell by late May.Aurora Energy chair Steve Thompson said it was “business as usual” at the company despite the proposed sale and sought to allay any concerns that its investment programme would not continue.The company is part-way through a five-year $563M investment programme, following historic underinvestment in asset maintenance and renewal and Commerce Commission proceedings against the company for breaching regulated quality standards. “Irrespective of the outcome of consultation, consumer rights would continue to be protected by the checks and balances imposed on the company by the sector regulators, the Commerce Commission and the Electricity Authority,” Steve said.“Our team of dedicated staff will continue their great work on delivering the significant programme of network investment and supporting the changing electricity needs of consumers.” Since the five-year investment programme was approved in March 2021 the company has spent close to $100M each year on asset maintenance and renewal to improve the network.DCC said it wanted to sell Aurora Energy to allow repayment of Aurora’s forecast debt of around $570M (which is likely to rise with the investment programme) and use additional sale funds to create an investment fund that would earn income for the council.DCC mayor Jules Radich also stressed that consumer rights would continue to be protected under any new ownership of the lines company.“This is the same protection that is in place now and would not change with Aurora Energy being sold,” he said. “The new owners would be subject to the same rules and considerations as currently exist.”PHOTO: Supplied

Lions raise $5,000 for maternity hub
Lions raise $5,000 for maternity hub

15 March 2024, 4:00 PM

The Wānaka Upper Clutha Lions, a women’s group, celebrated International Women’s Day this week (Wednesday March 13) by raising $5,000 for the Wānaka Maternity Trust. Club president Sue Grant told the Wānaka App 120 women attended the event at the Lake Hāwea Community Centre.“It was a great celebration of women, joining with the rest of the world celebrating International Women’s Day,” she said.The two speakers at the event were Wānaka Maternity Trust co-founder Morgan Weathington and Wānaka professional director Kathy Dedo.“They both spoke really well,” Sue said. Morgan talked about the fact there were 100 pregnancies in the Upper Clutha in 2008, showing a photo used in the media of many of those babies.One of those babies was Kathy’s son.Kathy, who is from the US, talked about her life, and how she ended up in Tapanui and eventually Wānaka.Raffles, ticket sales, and a top up of funds from the women’s Lions club added up to the $5,000 donation to the Wānaka Maternity Trust. “When [the midwives] started the trust there were 100 pregnancies in the Upper Clutha and now there are up to 200,” Sue said.“They will use [the donation] in the new birthing facility on Monteith Road to make it more homely for people,” Sue said.Lions club member Gill McCone said people were very happy to support the cause. “We’ve all been there and understand how important it is,” she said.Read more: Renovation work begins on future Wānaka primary birthing unitWānaka Upper Clutha Lions Club has 33 members but ‘the more the merrier”, Sue said. Anyone interested in joining can contact Sue (021 443 906) or Gill (021 149 3300).PHOTO: Wānaka App

Wānaka skier Ben Richards wins career first Freeride World Tour event
Wānaka skier Ben Richards wins career first Freeride World Tour event

14 March 2024, 6:38 PM

Wānaka’s Ben Richards (24) won the Freeride World Tour Fieberbrunn Pro stop in Austria overnight (March 14).The 2024 Tour is Ben’s rookie season and his success in Fieberbrunn marks his first Freeride World Tour (FWT) podium and win.“Winning here in Fieberbrunn for the first of the two FWT Finals means a lot to me,” Ben said.“To win in this competitive category was beyond my imagination. I'm so happy about it.” The competition took place on the well-known Wildseeloder, a face that gained its reputation due to its steepness (up to 50 degrees), long vertical drop, and seemingly endless selection of gnarly lines. Ben Richards in action on the Wildseeloder face in Fieberbrunn. PHOTO: Dom Daher / Freeride World TourThe Fieberbrunn Pro competition is a two run format, with only the athletes best run score counting. After coming unstuck on a cliff feature in his first run Ben returned to the top of the venue, re-focused and put down the run of his life. His run was full of serious airtime, most notably a 360 on top of the ever-impressive Häusl Cliff in his second attempt of the day. He was rewarded with a score of 97.00 (out of 100.00) leap frogging him into the top spot where he remained untouchable for the remainder of the event.Fellow Wānaka skier Finn Bilous (24) finished in fifth position.  Current ranking leader Max Hitzig (GER) finished in second place with a clean run. Marcus Goguen (CAN) was third. With just one final stop of the 2024 Freeride World Tour left to come at the Verbier Xtreme next weekend, Ben is currently ranked third overall and Finn fifth. 

Paid parking idea floated at WUCCB workshop
Paid parking idea floated at WUCCB workshop

14 March 2024, 4:06 PM

Parking was the topic of the day at a Wānaka Upper Clutha Community Board (WUCCB) workshop yesterday (Thursday March 14).A transportation planner hired by Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) explained to the board the findings of community consultation on the draft parking strategy as well as some of the possible parking management ideas being floated for Wānaka.They include paid parking in central Wānaka; parking permits for user groups including expectant mothers and local residents; and the use of technology to better manage parking.Workshops have previously been held behind closed doors and WUCCB chair Simon Telfer emphasised that the ideas shared at the workshop are “all conceptual at the moment”.A draft parking management plan for Wānaka will be presented to the board at the end of May and the community will have the chance to provide feedback before a final plan is presented in August.Parts of the Wānaka CBD including Brownston Street, Dunmore Street and the lakefront have “consistently very, very high demand for parking,” Stantec senior transportation planner Kylie Huard told the board.She presented the possibility of paid parking at six ‘precincts’ in the Wānaka CBD, with fees ranging from $1 to $4 per hour, depending on the precinct and the type of vehicle (campervans and coaches attracting the higher costs).A map presented at the meeting showing the six ‘precincts’ where paid parking - introduced in a staged manner based on demand - could be implemented. IMAGE: QLDC parking workshopUnder the proposal any paid parking would be implemented in a “staged approach”: the precinct with the highest demand would have paid parking first, and the next stage wouldn’t be “triggered” until the average peak demand reached 85 percent. Aside from two lakefront precincts stretching from the rowing club right along to Lakeside Drive, all the areas proposed for inclusion in paid parking were between McDougall Street and Hedditch Street and the west side of the golf course. The ‘core’ area (see image) would be the first to have paid parking, Kylie said.The sting of new parking fees could be eased with an expansion of permits, she said.“One of the things we heard in feedback is we need to look after local residents… so what we are proposing is we introduce a locals’ permit and we provide them with half price parking for up to three hours per day,” she said.Other types of permits, like a new parents or expectant mothers permit, and the existing seniors permit (currently used by more than 550 people), were also discussed. Other parking-related topics covered during the meeting included changes to the time limits for parking in various parts of the CBD; the role of public transport; the quantity and location of mobility parking spaces; and the broader issue, as described by Simon, that the council cannot “supply its way” out of the parking challenge given the rapid increase in population numbers and visitors.QLDC will present its draft parking strategy for Wānaka to the WUCCB on May 24.

Wānaka hosts first ‘Crag Fest’
Wānaka hosts first ‘Crag Fest’

14 March 2024, 4:04 PM

The Wānaka Climbing Club (WCC) has joined forces with the New Zealand Alpine Club (NZAC) to host the first Wānaka Crag Fest, a rock-climbing event promoting community and best practice.At least 100 climbers are expected to take part in this weekend’s festival (March 15-17), which aims to bring together NZ’s climbing community and inspire them to get out and enjoy climbing, as well as upskilling them in climbing techniques and caring for the climbing environment.“The festival is an idea that’s been bubbling about for sometime,” WCC president James-Anthony Keswick told the Wānaka App.“Thanks to WCC committee member Kate Friedlander and NZAC we’re able to take it a step further.”NZAC general manager Karen Leacock said crag fest is suitable for anyone who has done some outdoor climbing, and there will be “something for everyone”.Aspiring Helicopters drops materials for this weekend’s sustainability project. PHOTO: SuppliedInstructor-led climbing clinics will be held, as will ‘supported climbing’ sessions. These sessions will enable people to come along and meet new climbing partners, with volunteers able to set up top ropes, advise on climbing grades, and supply that “extra local knowledge”, Kate Friedlander told the Wānaka App.  These are an extension of the monthly ‘social climbing’ sessions Kate organises (held on the first Thursday of every month). Kate said the sessions have been boosted recently by the donation of two ropes and 12 quickdraws for the club from local business MT Outdoors.The Crag Fest includes a quiz night on Friday, a party with live music on Saturday night, and a morning yoga session on Sunday.“Crag Fest is also trying to support crag maintenance, and generate a community feel in terms of maintaining the crags and access,” Kate said.On Saturday Crag Fest participants will contribute their afternoon to help the local club with a sustainability project: upgrading an access track to the Highside Crag, facilitated by long term club members Ed Nepia and Joel Dean.James said the WCC had had fantastic support from its key partner the Department of Conservation, particularly community rangers Megan Eastes and Nicole Weyandt, who facilitated a heli-drop permit (Aspiring Helicopters) for working bee materials.Anyone interested in taking part in the working bee should meet at 2.30pm on Saturday at the Hospital Flat car park, and bring sturdy footwear, work gloves, sunhats, water, and if possible gardening tools (secateurs, mattocks, rakes, etc). Rock climbing has a long history in Wānaka, and along with the old favourites there are many new crags offering all sorts of challenges. Go deeper: Crags, characters, and conservation: the Wānaka Rock Climbing ClubThe Wānaka Crag Fest will take place from Friday to Sunday (March 15-17) around Wānaka. Find more information here.To support Wānaka Climbing Club or become a member check out its Facebook page. 

Recognition for long-running local property managers
Recognition for long-running local property managers

14 March 2024, 4:00 PM

Local business Home & Co has been named Property Management Company of the Year in the 2023 Leading Property Managers Association (LPMA) Awards.Home & Co also received the Excellence in Team Culture Award, Industry Educator Award, and Excellence in Business Performance Award, as well as an individual award – Excellence in Administration – for Home & Co team administrator Jeanette Sharpe.The wins meant a lot to the Home & Co team, director Colleen Topping said.“The LPMA is an international organisation of property managers from New Zealand, Australia and the United States, so it’s particularly pleasing to be recognised by our peers that our team of five here in Wānaka is doing an outstanding job.”Home & Co had been operating in Wānaka for 19 years and Colleen said it was always satisfying to be able to help tenants find a rental property.She pointed to a recent situation where Home & Co was able to help Shashika Jayasinghe and his brother-in-law, both from Sri Lanka, find a long-term rental.Jeanette and Colleen with tenant Shashika Jayasinghe, who recently secured a long-term rental. Both Shashika and his brother-in-law have full-time jobs in Wānaka – Shashika’s role is in hospitality – and have been looking for long-term accommodation for around five months.Shashika says being able to secure a residential rental means they can bring his sister and her three children from Sri Lanka to join them in their new hometown. “We haven’t seen our family for more than a year so I can’t thank everyone at Home & Co enough for helping us find the right property.”Colleen acknowledged the rental market can be very challenging for tenants.“We also know how important immigrant workers like Shashika are to our local businesses, so these situations are definitely win-win for the local community.”The LMPA awards took place on February 24.Judges highlighted Home & Co’s commitment to sustainability, which they said had never been mentioned by entrants before. Colleen said Home & Co considered its carbon footprint after participating in Queenstown Lakes District Council’s (QLDC) ‘Measure What Matters’ workshop last year.They now provide education on recycling to new tenants, and provide a reusable coffee cup and Plastic Free Wānaka tote bag with each welcome pack; and in the office have implemented measures like reusable ‘for rent’ signs and new recycling initiatives.PHOTOS: Supplied

Progress on housing action plan
Progress on housing action plan

13 March 2024, 4:06 PM

Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) staff have shared an update on an ‘action plan’ which aims to ensure members of the community can access quality, secure, stable, and affordable housing.The Queenstown Lakes District Joint Housing Action Plan (JHAP), approved in late April 2023, features nine ‘key actions’ to help improve affordable housing supply.Actions include influencing and incentivising developers to provide affordable housing; working with the community to find solutions to rental shortage with a focus on workforce housing; and finding opportunities to purchase land for the provision of affordable housing.The JHAP is described as not a silver bullet for the district’s housing challenges, but a broad, multi-agency plan (created with the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, Kāinga Ora and the Queenstown Lakes Community Housing Trust) to help influence housing outcomes.Since the plan was approved 11 months ago, QLDC has made progress on various actions “including working with central government, local and nation-wide organisations, and across QLDC, to improve housing outcomes in the district”, QLDC strategic growth manager Anita Vanstone said.QLDC staff are working with its property team to identify QLDC land that could be used for the provision of affordable housing and looking into previous work done by Kainga Ora and the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment on lowering the cost of construction.QLDC representatives have joined the NZ Tiny House Association working group and are looking at ways to reduce barriers for tiny home owners/renters, including better communication of local requirements.The council has also begun work on a community engagement and communications plan to support people to find rental accommodation and support, and as part of this it is in discussions with AirBnB, the Chamber of Commerce, and the Queenstown Housing Initiative.Related pieces of work underway by QLDC include its inclusionary housing proposal - under which developers would need to provide an affordable housing contribution to community housing providers - and an urban intensification variation which would allow more dwellings on smaller lots.There’s also the Grow Well partnership, another multi-agency effort which is designed to “align decision-making” on “growth related challenges; and the council is undertaking advocacy, supporting the Queenstown Lakes Community Housing Trust, and improving its data to build the case for new funding and policy support from central government and the community. The Joint Housing Action Plan update was presented to the QLDC planning and strategy committee on February 13.Read the full update at the council website.PHOTO: Wānaka App

Crimeline: Show joyride, SAR, and crash victim airlifted to hospital
Crimeline: Show joyride, SAR, and crash victim airlifted to hospital

13 March 2024, 4:04 PM

Crimeline has changed. It is written by the Wānaka App based on a weekly meeting with Wānaka Police.An influx of visitors to Wānaka for the Wānaka A&P Show meant additional police resources were engaged last week.Constable Kiriana Flannery said additional road policing and impairment teams (the ‘Booze Bus’) travelled to Wānaka to ensure a good police presence.“It’s more of a prevention thing,” she said.“We don’t generally expect any issues … it’s a good event and very family orientated.”Kiriana said police were aware of a person at the Show taking a security vehicle for a joyride after being removed from a bar due to intoxication on Friday March 8.This resulted in the person's employer, an exhibitor at the show, losing its liquor licence and being unable to serve alcohol to its guests on Saturday March 9.On Friday and Saturday evening police dealt with some intoxicated people making “poor decisions”, trying to get into bars and some minor disorderly behaviour.On Saturday night police were called to a private address in Wānaka where approximately 150 youth had gathered for an 18th birthday party.Kiriana said the party was under adult supervision but that numbers attending had swelled.“We did have to separate a fight that broke out,” Kiriana said.The Booze Bus was active over the weekend with more than 600 drivers tested for alcohol. One person tested positive in the ‘low range’, receiving an infringement ticket.Search & RescueWānaka Search and Rescue (SAR) were called to an incident at Brewster Hut where a person was winched into a helicopter from a ‘high risk’ area.Kiriana said the person was cold and wet but not suffering from any injuries.SAR also conducted an extensive search when a person was reported missing by a friend while tramping the Gillespie Pass Circuit in Mt Aspiring National Park.The person was found travelling back in their vehicle.Vehicle damageA vehicle was damaged in the New World Three Parks car park in what Kiriana described as an unprovoked attack. The victim was sitting in their car when a person hit the vehicle with an item causing damage to the vehicle.Kiriana said the people were not known to each other and the incident is under investigation with CCTV footage being reviewed.CrashPolice attended a crash involving a motorbike and car on State Highway 6 near Wānaka Airport last week. The motorbike rider suffered serious injuries and was airlifted to Dunedin Hospital where they are in stable condition.See also: ‘Unexplained’ Lake Hāwea death under investigationCall 111 when you need an emergency response from police, fire or ambulance.Call 105 to report things that don’t need urgent police assistance.Call *555 to report road incidents that are urgent but not life-threatening.To make an anonymous crime report contact Crime Stoppers.PHOTO: Wānaka App

‘Temporary’ roundabout likely to stay
‘Temporary’ roundabout likely to stay

13 March 2024, 4:00 PM

A new temporary roundabout at the intersection of Ballantyne and Golf Course Roads may remain until the permanent roundabout for the intersection is constructed.The painted circle roundabout was created overnight last week (March 6-7) in response to the increased vehicle congestion caused by current nearby roadworks and detours affecting Ballantyne Road.Initially, the council said the temporary roundabout was aligned with current roadworks and would be removed in May after the detours had ended.It has reconsidered that decision now.“We’re currently monitoring the temporary [roundabout] solution and, if the results are positive, will be looking to retain it until we can deliver a more permanent intersection upgrade,” Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) media advisor Sam White said.The new temporary painted roundabout at the intersection of Ballantyne and Golf Course Roads is proving effective.The temporary roundabout cost around $5,000 for the road markings, signage and traffic management. The Wānaka Upper Clutha Community Board has identified other congested intersections which would benefit from the same low cost, temporary solutions, including at the intersection of McDougall/Brownstown Streets and Anderson Road/Link Way.However, similar temporary roundabouts were not being considered for any other intersections “at this stage”, Sam said.He said council continues to work towards constructing a permanent roundabout at the Golf Course Road intersection, a design for which has been completed, but the project is subject to NZTA Waka Kotahi funding.“[The] Golf Course Rd roundabout is now one of the top priority items in our funding application to NZTA’s 2024-2027 National Land Transport Programme (NLTP),” Sam said.Council will learn if its application has been successful when the NLTP is published in September this year.Upper Clutha roading projects: $10M budgeted QLDC’s Low Cost Low Risk (LCLR) programme this financial year includes more than $10M budgeted for roading projects in the Upper Clutha, each of which receive a 50 percent funding subsidy by NZTA, Sam said.The recently completed “active travel” path beside Anderson Road cost $1.4M; an additional $450K was spent in a separate project to upgrade the Anderson/Aubrey Roads intersection; and another $430K was spent on traffic calming speed humps at Rata Street.Also completed are the safety upgrades to both the Wānaka-Mt Aspiring Road and Wānaka-Cardrona corridors which cost $900K and $1.6M respectively.Further rehabilitation to the Cardrona Valley Road is already underway and expected to be completed by May this year at an estimated cost of $2.2M and the roundabout currently under construction at the Riverbank/Ballantyne Roads intersection is estimated to cost another $2.25MIn addition to these projects, QLDC continues to work on sections of the Schools to Pool active travel route and expects to complete the intersection of Capel Ave-Domain Road in Lake Hāwea in April (estimated cost $1.45M), Sam said. PHOTOS: Wānaka App

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