LOCALLY OWNED SINCE FOREVER
31 Oct - 6 Nov
LAKES WEEKLY BULLETIN
No 925
C
FE
h fu rist AT n m UR ct a i s E o IN n SI s D E
Home from home My first Kiwi passport arrived in the post on Friday, which is a time for celebration and reflection for any migrant who has chosen to make New Zealand their home and thankfully been accepted. To be honest, we’re not off to the best of starts, with an ABs-inspired period of national mourning, due in no small part to the performance of my home countryman Wayne Barnes and the TMO overlords. Still, at least it wasn’t an All Blacks v England final, which would have really tested my allegiances after 14 years in NZ. While New Zealand was always a dream destination for my wife and I, on our career-break gap year, it was Queenstown Lakes itself that we found we couldn’t bear to leave. After travelling the world, it was obvious this was one of the best places to live, and after several temporary visas, followed by permanent residency, two kids, and building a house, it has become clear we’re likely never going ‘home’. Two publications last week showed that many people, both internationals and Kiwis, feel the same. According to Stats NZ population estimates, Queenstown Lakes is once again the fastest growing district in the country. There was a massive 8% population growth in the 12 months to July 2023. That’s 3,900 people. There are now around 52,800 living here. The growth is mainly driven by international migrants, with net 2,500 people moving to Queenstown Lakes from overseas. Some 1,100 net moved here from elsewhere within NZ, while there were also 340 more births than deaths.
KiwiHarvest and Lakes District Museum were the two major winners from the Impact100 Wakatipu grant awards announced at a gala dinner last Wednesday night. Each of the winning charities received $100,000. See story on page 6
The other publication was the Colliers Market Review and Outlook 202324, which shows that despite high prices, demand is king across residential, rental, commercial, industrial and, to a lesser extent, hotel property sectors. Obviously, there are huge challenges that come with this popularity, and we’re not even talking about the tourists. Housing is a major one, along with traffic, the environment, the wealth gap, and water infrastructure. But growth is not going away. In my lifetime, the world’s population has doubled to eight billion, and by the end of this century, it’s expected to double again. Places like Queenstown will always be popular, especially with the rise of remote working. But, if we can sort out the infrastructure funding and council debt, I think we can tackle those challenges. Our community spirit is strengthening all the time. Just look at the work of the Queenstown Lakes Community Housing Trust, or Southern Lakes Sanctuary, or Queenstown Trails Trust, or Wakatipu Reforestation Trust, or KiwiHarvest, or the Salvation Army, or Impact 100 Wakatipu, the list could go on and on, not to mention our dynamic business community, excellent schools and events sector. Plenty of reasons to be positive, when you’re over Sunday’s result.
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