New Zealanders

By TRACEY ROXBURGH You could almost hear the sighs of relief at 4pm on Tuesday in Queenstown. After holding the collective breath for more than a year, the resort was finally able to exhale as Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced a...

By TRACEY ROXBURGH Fifty teams of Kiwis, crammed into their Minis, arrived in Queenstown on Tuesday on their way to completing an epic 2350km trip from Paihia to Invercargill. The Pork Pie Charity Run for KidsCan loosely follows the route taken...

By TRACEY ROXBURGH Shiver me timbers, he did it. Queenstowner Paddy Turnhout celebrated his 23rd birthday on Tuesday night by spending 23 minutes in an ice bath, where the water ranged in temperature from just 3.9degC to 4.5degC. At the same time...

By PHILIP CHANDLER A Queenstown adventure tourism company’s hibernating as it’s on ‘‘a hiding to nothing’’ till borders reopen. Canyon Explorers is pulling the plug this coming Monday, though its fulltimers — three guides and a frontliner — have all found...

By PHILIP CHANDLER The owner of Queenstown’s Muskets and Moonshine restaurant/bar is hibernating his business to stop losing money. Chris Buckley, who also owns the resort’s still-thriving Pub on Wharf, says ‘‘we don’t want to put ourselves in a position, while...

By TRACEY ROXBURGH While calls are being made for Immigration New Zealand to free up the migrant workforce, and establish region-specific visa extensions, that’s not on the new government’s agenda. Remarkable Labour directors Blair McNaughton and Ed Stott say there are dire times ahead...

You may recall the Infometrics report done in May of this year which predicated a very dire situation for our district. At that time, little was known about what effect Covid-19 would have and their report predicted unemployment of 18.5%...

By MATTHEW MCKEW Expensive flights, visa issues and fluctuating lockdowns could offer a new opportunity for Queenstown as the international destination from within for young Kiwis. It’s an idea put forward by St Moritz Hotel manager Jo Finnigan, who wants to find...

By PHILIP CHANDLER Queenstown International Marathon's boss is still hopeful the resort's biggest one-day event - which last year had a record field of 12,000-plus - can run again this November, despite the current Covid-19 ban on big events. Dave Beeche,...