Despite being negatively affected residents say tourism is good for Mackenzie District
Acting mayor Karen Morgan wants the government to help pay for critical infrastructure like roads, car parks and toilets.
Photo:
RNZ / Niva Chittock
A survey of residents living in the picturesque Mackenzie District finds almost everyone believes tourism is good for the region - and almost everyone has been negatively affected by it.
The survey released by the district council found 92 percent of residents said tourism was good, and 87 percent said they had personally benefited from it.
But 99 percent also said they been adversely affected by tourism in their local area.
"The survey echoes what we are hearing on the ground: we support tourism but urgently need to address the impacts - and top of that list is infrastructure," acting mayor Karen Morgan said.
She wanted the government to help pay for critical infrastructure like roads, car parks and toilets.
"You just can't make the math work.
"Lake Tekapo needs a new wastewater treatment plant to accommodate the large visitor volumes. At an estimated cost of $47m, it is unaffordable by a district of 5,500 ratepayers alone - it would almost take the Council to their debt ceiling, and Lake Tekapo is only one of our townships," Morgan said.
She said the district had a housing shortage because so many homes had been converted to short-term holiday rentals.
"Businesses had a good summer with absolutely stunning weather but they didn't work as much as they could have because they didn't have staff - because they couldn't house them.
"For all that the government has a 'grow, grow, grow' agenda for tourism it has to make sure that the infrastructure that supports tourism, particularly in small communities, meets that demand as well."
Morgan said tourism in the region had returned to pre-Covid levels, especially over summer.
In 2024, the Mackenzie District had the highest visitor to ratepayer ratio in the country at 130.7:1. The national average was 7.3:1, and Queenstown was 85.3:1.
She said the district was also disproportionately impacted by drive-through visitors who used facilities like public toilets but didn't contribute to the local economy.
The survey found Mackenzie residents' feeling towards tourism was much lower than the wider population of Aotearoa.
The Tourism Approval Rating (TAR), which measures residents' overall perceptions of tourism, is 11 in the district - the lowest of all participating regions. The National benchmark is 49, Queenstown's is 20. The range is from -100 to 100.
As well as help with infrastructure, residents wanted more visitor education about road safety and environmental protection, more police, and more controls on freedom camping and short term rental housing.
Morgan said the council was engaging with tourism minister Louise Upston about its particular challenges.
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