border closures

By PHILIP CHANDLER Ferg's going to love you even more on Wednesday. To celebrate its 20th birthday, the Queenstown institution’s shouting its original The Fergburger, or Fergburger with cheese, throughout its 21 hours of operation — so long as you say...

By PHILIP CHANDLER An annual high country run behind Queenstown is introducing a gruelling ultra run as it celebrates its 10th anniversary this tomorrow. Shotover Moonlight Mountain Marathon, on Ben Lomond Station, is adding the 56km ‘Moonlight Ultra’ to its 10km,...

By PHILIP CHANDLER Coming on top of Covid border closures, some retailers fear an impending dig-up of Queenstown’s town centre could put them under. Council’s about to start a $60 million CBD street upgrade — a ‘shovel-ready’ project it’s co-funding with...

In a milestone that flew under the radar, Queenstown’s NZONE Skydive — currently in a tailspin due to border closures — recently turned 30. Original co-owner and general manager Robynne Williams and current gm Clark ‘Scotty’ Scott reflect on...

By PHILIP CHANDLER If anyone knows how hard Queenstown’s retail scene is, not least this year, it’s local couple Judy and John Knight, who this week mark 25 years in business. They’ve had Outside Sports — specialising in ski, hike, bike and...

In preparation for writing a second political piece in the lead-up to the general election, I was contemplating which big issues residents in the Queenstown Lakes would be most concerned with. Rather than spouting anecdotes, I went to the findings...

By PHILIP CHANDLER A new Queenstown Music Festival will replace next year’s 11th edition of the Michael Hill International Violin Competition. Sponsored by Arrowtown jeweller Sir Michael Hill’s family, the world-renowned contest’s run every two years since 2001, with Queenstown hosting the...

By MATTHEW MCKEW Queenstowners should be able to sell to whoever they ‘‘damn well please’’ — including foreigners. That’s according to ACT leader and MP David Seymour, who was in the resort on Wednesday ahead of September’s election. ACT’s Southland candidate Basil Waker...

By PHILIP CHANDLER WHAT downturn? Despite Covid-19 border closures causing business carnage, five operators - an art gallery, a car dealership and three hospo companies managed to open new outlets between last Friday and Monday. After fashion store World closed in Church...

By TRACEY ROXBURGH ‘‘You get served lemons, you might as well make lemonade’’. They’re the words of Winter Games NZ boss Marty Toomey who’s exclusively revealed to Mountain Scene details of ‘The Obsidian’, the replacement event for the 2020 games, which...

By PHILIP CHANDLER Concern's growing for dozens of Queenstown-based Brazilians who can't get back to their adopted hometown. A local Brazilian knows of 113 of her countryfolk on New Zealand work visas who were visiting Brazil when borders shut because of the...

By Hugh Collins NZSki's hopes of opening a new chairlift in time for the 2020 Queenstown ski season are looking more positive than ever. The company's worked with Clutha-Southland MP Hamish Walker on a government exemption to allow a specialist rope splicer...