The Queenstown Lakes District Councillors have officially endorsed the Queenstown Lakes regeneration tourism strategy. As the final step to adopting the region’s destination management plan, ‘Travel to a Thriving Future,’ the strategy partnership includes Destination Queenstown (DQ), Lake Wānaka Tourism (LWT), and the Queenstown Lakes District (QLDC).
Mat Woods, Destination Queenstown Chief Executive, Tim Barke, QLDC General Manager, and Michelle Morss, Strategy and Policy QLDC, answered questions from the council following input from Kāi Tahu and the Department of Conservation.
“The Queenstown Lakes District Mayor has supported our ambitious goal for the visitor economy to be carbon zero by 2030 from the outset,” said Woods, “and our goal and the regenerative strategy’s been public since last year. It’s good to have the official endorsement from our councillors who represent our community. Now it really is time to get on with the 23 projects on the list. I’m looking forward to having the governance in place and setting up our project teams.”
Mayor Glyn Lewers advised Councillors that the most vital thing now was to help drive the district’s plan individually.
“It’s a visceral drive for me personally, and as the leaders of this district, we have to drive it.”
The tourism strategy ensures that tourism supports a thriving community environmentally, socially, culturally, and economically. Preparations for the first initiative of the strategy are well underway. In April, a funding platform will launch to provide the opportunity for visitors and industry to support localised climate, conservation, and biodiversity action.
The strategy is an output of the Grow Well, Whaiora Spatial Plan, the formal partnership between QLDC, Kāi Tahu, and the Crown and an action in the QLDC Climate and Biodiversity Plan.
Tim Barke detailed that the planning process was designed to be community-led from the get-go.
“Created with and for the local communities, the people of Queenstown Lakes have expressed their aspirations for what tourism can become. This collective vision provides opportunities for everyone in the region, as well as greater well-being for people and the planet.”
A committed team have been scoping the keystone project of the ‘Travel for a Thriving Future’ strategy. The scoping report is due by the end of March.
The team includes Katherine Durman, QLDC Climate Action Programme Manager; Dr Stephen Batstone, local energy expert; and Tyler Robinson, David Archer, Lindsay and Rodney Payne from Destination Think. The QLDC Climate Reference Group will offer advice and guidance.
Global experts have offered their support in an advisory role, including Paul Cubbon, Assistant Dean of Innovation, University of British Columbia; Dr Freya Higgins-Desbiolles, Adjunct Snr Lecturer, UniSA Business, University of South Australia; Tito Jankowski, Chief Executive Officer, AirMiners; and Graeme Millen, Managing Director - Climate Tech & Sustainability, Silicon Valley Bank.
Dr Susanne Becken will offer scientific advice, Professor of Sustainable Tourism at Griffith University and Principal Science Investment Advisor with the Department of Conservation, New Zealand.
“The plan will continue to evolve, and the partnership welcomes feedback from the community at any time for consideration at the next periodic review point,” said Mayor Glyn Lewers. “So we urge everyone who lives here or has an interest in our region to stay informed and sign up to our newsletter.”
