Lakes Weekly Bulletin

03/09/2026

Have you sorted brunch, lunch or dinner for the special dad, grandad, friend or father figure in your life?
Father's Day is this Sunday, and Walter's Tavern has you covered! Enjoy a b**r tasting paddle, catch Point Cut Barber on-site, and Dad scores a free pair of socks. What's not to love? Book your table today at walterstavern.co.nz.

02/09/2026

Murray Forward - Murray’s your man

Arrowtown Fire Chief Murray Forward would pretty much do anything for his community. In almost 30 years in the volunteer brigade, much of that at the helm, Murray’s been on hand at countless community fundraising events, even dancing naked on-stage, all in aid of a good cause, fireman’s helmet appropriately positioned of course.

He’s been officer then deputy chief, serving the last half of his time as fire chief.

Murray’s even been the local Wakatipu sexton for about 10 years while co-owning Base Contracting, laying people to rest across the basin: ‘Everybody’s dying to see you,” he quips.

Read the full story:

Arrowtown Fire Chief Murray Forward would pretty much do anything for his community. In almost 30 years in the volunteer brigade, much of that at the helm, Murray’s been on hand at countless community fundraising events, even dancing naked on-stage, all in aid of a good cause, fireman’s helmet a...

31/08/2026

Editorial 1066

Rates Rates and more Rates
by Anthony Hill

Ratepayers have just paid the first instalment of the new QLDC annual rates, 9.9% or thereabouts across the district up on last year. I ask myself why? Why doesn’t Queenstown have the cheapest rates in the country? If the infrastructure cost of running this district was equitably distributed across all users, our local citizens should be paying half the current bills.

The obvious answer is a tourist bed tax as QLDC have previously advocated for. News flash, it’s not going to happen. Not on PM Luxon’s watch as he flipflopped from “maybe” to a hard “no” last week. Not that it matters if it’s blue, green, red or yellow in the beehive. Our Central Government overlords will not allow us locals to collect a fair and targeted contribution from visitors. So, time to think outside of the square.

First up I propose a “P*e” Card. We have provided fantastic public toilet facilities very rarely used by residents. A P*e Card could identify who is local and who is a visitor. Locals free, tourists spend a ‘penny’. Our high-tech push-button door entry loos probably have the technology already within. Funds earmarked for sewage infrastructure.

Congestion charging for rental cars is my next proposal. All rental cars should be subject to congestion charges while spending more than 24 hours in The Basin. Easy to monitor with only 3 roads in or out. Any rental starting or ending in Queenstown has 24 hours before being charged for cluttering our streets and car parks. This is simply a continuation of the user pays system we are already subject to as locals, extended for tourists. Collected as a tariff from the rental companies. Easy. Money directed to improvements on QLDC roads and parking infrastructure.

Rubbish, unfortunately I can’t think of a way to charge for this at the bin. Suggestions welcome, but AirBnB might be an avenue. Guests are more likely to contaminate the recycle bins which compounds our collection services. If a bed tax is off the table, then all holiday accommodation units must be properly rated. No exemption with this ridiculous and impossible to police first 90 days free structure. It’s unfair on those who do register their holiday accommodation units legitimately with QLDC and pay extra rates for their honesty.

Every holiday accommodation unit must pay a pro-rata commercial (hotel) rate depending on number of nights tenanted. Holiday accommodation typically uses much more water, and waste services than the same property as a long-term rental. Additionally, they put demands on that infrastructure in more compressed time frames – congestion of sewers as a house load returns from the pubs on a night out. If residential houses are being rented commercially for short term accommodation, they must be charged accordingly. No exemptions. It’s time to stop the bleed on us locals.

27/08/2026

🌧 Stay safe out there! Queenstown Police are asking motorists to avoid Glenorchy – Queenstown Road and the Crown Range following inclement weather. The Glenorchy – Queenstown Road is currently closed while authorities work to clear a landslide. The road is closed from One Mile Roundabout to Sunshine Bay.

26/08/2026

Jan Hunt - Riding to the top

She’s been at the top of hotel management starting a 40-year career overseas at just 23, also at the helm in governance for tourism nationally and some leading Kiwi companies, all not bad for a girl from Mount Nicholas Station.

Jan Hunt, now retired at 68, was among the first women to pave the way in hotel management nationally, breaking new ground for those to follow, after proving herself during a chance opportunity in Aspen at 23. While her first front of house job there was all about the skiing - the lift outside the hotel door - Jan was quickly catapulted by her Texan boss into managing that 65-room, five-star property, staying almost seven years. “I was pretty naïve, but I learned fast,” she grins. Her argument with a leading Aspen businessman that Queenstown was ‘more beautiful’ led to the two resorts’ sister city relationship.

Read the full article:

Jan, right, and daughter Olivia taking Olivia’s competition horses Ceniki and Sid for a ride in Spain while Olivia was there representing NZ

26/08/2026

Join this week's conversation with the Lakes Weekly poll on current Queenstown issues. The poll should take less than 2 minutes of your time. Follow the link to answer the questions:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/GSWKTY7

The results of these questions will be published in next week’s print edition.
Your response to the survey is anonymous and we don’t publish individual responses.

Subscribe to LWB's polls: https://forms.gle/DPHWEcFkTGQaTcjK9

25/08/2026

WIN, WIN, WIN WITH SNOW MACHINE!

We’re giving away 5 x GA Weekend Passes to Snow Machine - getting you in on all the festival action Friday + Saturday.
(Valued at $329pp per weekend pass)

Get amongst it with Chet Faker, Ninajrachi & Orkestrated on Friday 11th September & Restricted, Kanine & Example on Saturday 12th September.

To enter: LIKE and COMMENT below which music act you are most looking forward to seeing at this year’s Snow Machine.
And remember local's can score a discount on any ticket type by using the code SMQTLOCAL at checkout.

T&Cs:
•Winners will be drawn and notified Thursday 3rd September.
·Festival entry only (ski lift pass not included and is required for the First Base stage at Remarkables; other stages can be accessed on foot).
·Winners must be 18+.
·5 x Weekend Passes to giveaway. 1 weekend pass per winner.

24/08/2026

Editorial 1065

Who embodies the Spirit of the Wakatipu?
by Jennifer Belmont - CE, 45South Community Foundation

What is it that makes the Whakatipu such a special place to live?

The mountains and lakes may be what people first notice, but those of us who live here know that a community is about much more than the scenery. It’s about the people who show up and pitch in to make life better for others.

Across the Whakatipu, hundreds of people contribute their time, skills, energy and resources to our community every day. They coach our kids, serve on committees, deliver meals, protect our environment, support people through difficult times, organise events, raise funds and create opportunities for others.

Our local charities and community organisations work tirelessly across areas including youth, housing, health, conservation, arts, sport, food security and social services. Many are powered by volunteers who give hours of their time because they care about this place.

Our businesses also play a role. Local companies sponsor teams and events, support charities, encourage staff to volunteer, donate goods and services, make donations, and find ways to give back to the community that supports them.

And then there are the individuals whose contribution may never appear in an annual report or make the headlines. The neighbour who is always there when someone needs help. The volunteer who has quietly gives their time. The person who sees something that needs doing and simply gets on with it.

These are the people, groups, organisations and businesses that embody the Spirit of the Wakatipu.

The Spirit of the Wakatipu Awards were created to recognise and celebrate these contributions. We believe it’s important to acknowledge just how much our community relies on people being willing to do that little bit - or a lot - extra.

45South Community Foundation is again inviting nominations for the Spirit of the Wakatipu Awards.

We want to hear about the people and organisations you think deserve to be recognised. They might be well known, or someone whose contribution is largely unseen outside a small circle. What matters is the difference they make.

In a growing and changing district like ours, a strong community doesn’t happen by accident. It is created every day through thousands of acts of generosity, kindness and participation.

Who do you know who goes that extra step?

Nominate them for a Spirit of the Wakatipu Award at www.45south.org and help us celebrate the people who make this place not just somewhere extraordinary to live, but a community. Nominations close 31 August and will be awarded at the Spirit of the Wakatipu Gala on Saturday 17th October.

20/08/2026

Carolyn Crum - Pipin’ hot

From highland dancing to the pipes for delighted tourists and flashing her frilly knickers to the cancan, to singing her heart out in a chorus, former seasoned Arrowtown performer Carolyn Crum is in her happy place on stage.

Now living near Cromwell she’s virtually hung up her dancing shoes but is always on call if her Scottish-loving piper dad, Jim Gilmour, 87, needs her to perform with him.

Arriving in Arrowtown as a schoolteacher in 1995, Carolyn, an avid dancer and performer, was soon snapped up by the town’s famous Buckingham Belles – the darlings of decades of Arrowtown Autumn Festivals. That began a 27-year commitment which she absolutely loved, the Belles becoming popular entertainment for conferences and events, including Kevin Lynch’s History Alive shows, the ladies also performing at the Hokitika W**e and Food Festival twice. Some big nights were had keeping up the party pace with the decades older members of the Arrow Miners Band, Carolyn says.

Read the full story:

From highland dancing to the pipes for delighted tourists and flashing her frilly knickers to the cancan, to singing her heart out in a chorus, former seasoned Arrowtown performer Carolyn Crum is in her happy place on stage.

17/08/2026

Editorial 1064

The Vote Before the Passport
by Santiago Bonhomme

A few years ago, I walked into a polling booth in Arrowtown and voted.
I am not a citizen. I am a permanent resident.

I remember that vote not for its outcome, but for what it represented. I was being asked for an opinion on the future of the country where my family and I had decided to build our lives.

As is always the case in the lead-up to an election, political parties vying for the limelight come up with some challenging, attention-grabbing policies.

One that certainly got my attention was changing the status quo that allows eligible NZ residents to vote in national elections, to citizens only. New Zealand has permitted eligible residents and citizens to vote since 1975, one of the few countries in the world to do so.

This policy change would affect not only my family, still on our way to citizenship, but many other Queenstown families in the same situation.

On one hand there is the symbolic merit of the proposed change, that citizenship represents commitment, and that the right to decide the country’s future should belong to those who have formalised that bond. Furthermore, that whoever votes should have permanent legal ties to the country, not merely one of residency.

On the other hand, the concern with this policy, which affects my family and many others in the Queenstown area, is that permanent residents can raise children here, work, start businesses, employ people, pay taxes, grow old here. They can spend twenty or thirty years in New Zealand and remain a permanent resident. What part of that life is temporary?

There is another discomfort in this argument, too. Being a citizen does not guarantee commitment either. There are New Zealand citizens who have spent much of their lives abroad, while permanent residents live here for decades, generating employment and actively participating in their communities. I am not saying one group loves New Zealand more than the other. I am saying something simpler, that a document certifies our legal status, but can hardly measure how much we have committed our lives to a place.

Queenstown has this same argument all the time, about who counts as local and who doesn’t. Is it the years spent here, or the contribution made?

In a year I will be eligible to apply for citizenship, and I likely will. My wife and children too. But I find it hard to accept that only on that day will New Zealand’s future suddenly become my concern.

It already is.