Latest news with #ProjectManawa
Otago Daily Times
5 days ago
- Business
- Otago Daily Times
Frankton floated as alternative site for new council headquarters
Frankton is a viable alternative to Queenstown's CBD for a new council headquarters, a consultants' report says. However, the community will not be consulted on the issue until next year. After discussing the report at a full meeting of the Queenstown Lakes District Council on Thursday, councillors agreed a draft consultation document would be considered by the next council at a workshop in the new year. That document is likely to present the two options as the Frankton Village/Five Mile corridor or the CBD. The report concluded the Five Mile corridor — the retail and commercial area extending from The Warehouse to Glenda Dr — was preferable for leasing, while "Frankton Village" was preferred for a new building, because the council already owned a suitable site. Repeated questioning by Cr Gavin Bartlett brought an admission by chief executive Mike Theelen that "Frankton Village" was shorthand for the Queenstown Events Centre site, and likely the playing fields at the site's eastern end. Cr Bartlett, who said that effectively made it "indistinguishable" from the Five Mile corridor, said he was "bamboozled" by the report. He asked why the council could not consult on build and lease options for all the locations, as well as the Remarkables Park retail and commercial zone. Mr Theelen said the consultants' report, which included a cost-benefit analysis comparing building-and-owning versus leasing over a 25-year period, had identified "value propositions" for each location, where either building or leasing was preferable. The report said the CBD offered strong civic identity and economic diversification beyond retail and hospitality. The decision means the council's long-running project to house its staff in a single building has been deferred to the next council, after October's local body elections. Staff are now spread across five different locations, and the leases on those buildings begin to expire in 2028. After a singular focus on the Stanley St site in the past few years, councillors directed staff earlier this year to compare it to sites outside the CBD. In 2019, the council proposed a joint venture with Ngāi Tahu Property, called Project Manawa, for the Stanley St site. Under that proposal, a new council headquarters would be the first stage of a development that also included a performing arts centre, gallery, library and commercial properties. However, no formal negotiations have taken place. The council's 10-year plan, passed last year, estimates the cost of the headquarters building alone at $60million.
Otago Daily Times
17-06-2025
- Business
- Otago Daily Times
Residents survey reveals ‘distrust'
Better communication, more genuine consultation and greater transparency are key lessons from a survey of Queenstown Lakes residents, councillors say. "Stinging" and "sombre" were some of the adjectives they used at a council workshop yesterday to describe the results of the survey, which was released last week. Conducted by an independent market research company earlier this year, the survey delivered some confronting results, such as only 17% of respondents thinking the council made decisions in the best interests of the district. Council policy data analyst Nathan Brown said the results reflected a "general distrust and unhappiness" with the council, and a perception by residents they were not being listened to. Deputy mayor Quentin Smith said trust in the council had taken a hit over the Wānaka Airport lease issue, and the trend had only worsened in the years since. Cr Niki Gladding said staff tended to "manipulate" community engagement, either "conscious or subconsciously". Staff bias had crept into consultation on such issues such as Project Manawa, Lakeview and outdoor dining fees. Councillors were "constantly being denied information we need to make decisions", Cr Gladding said. Cr Esther Whitehead said that the council needed to be more transparent and improve its communications. She often read online comments by people who clearly did not know much about the issue they were concerned about. Cr Cody Tucker said it was "frustrating" to read online comments by people he had known for many years, but who never contacted him directly about their concerns. Cr Lisa Guy said some online criticism was "made up and personal", but there was plenty to improve on. She gave the council's website an example of an "amateur hour" level of service. "I hate searching our website — I can't find things." Cr Gavin Bartlett said some of the community's frustration was due to a lack of understanding of how local government worked. Some people thought it was easy to get things done and fix problems, and believed councillors were intent on pursuing personal agendas. "Anyone who sits in a council meeting knows that's not the case." Mayor Glyn Lewers said the council was dealing with an "all-encompassing" level of growth, but he would rather be mayor of a town that was growing than one that was not. The survey results were a "baseline", and the council would take the next few months to absorb the lessons. "I don't think we should be too hard on ourselves".
