Mountain Scene’s asked Queenstown’s councillors if:
● Queenstown’s council’s doing enough to address the resort’s rental housing crisis; and
● in the short-term, what’s one thing it could do?
Here’s a summary of their thoughts
GAVIN BARTLETT
● ‘‘Yes, they’re trying to do what they can, and have been trying, but it’s limited.’’
● ‘‘Have more of the houses that are already here available for long-term rentals. I wonder if there’s anything the council can do to encourage home owners to have them as long-term rentals, maybe ratings or work on people’s conscience?’’
CRAIG ‘FERG’ FERGUSON
● ‘‘They’re doing the best they can, and there’s a lot against them. It’s extremely limited and the Resource Management Act doesn’t help. It’s always been a real battle, and it’s a vicious cycle that’s got more vicious recently.’’
● ‘‘Continue dialogue and assist people the best we can, supporting people like Jim Moore from the Novotel who’s got worker accommodation for his staff.’’
NIKI GLADDING
● ‘‘In terms of actual action, we’re not doing enough yet, but there’s stuff in the pipeline.’’
● ‘‘Advocacy … we need to be doing more of that … whether that’s tugging on the heartstrings and making people feel like they need to contribute to the town.’’
LISA GUY
● ‘‘I think they’re doing everything they possibly can. I see them all … giving it their all.’’
● ‘‘The issue is around vacant properties … there are too many disincentives from central government to property owners. Accessing the empty stock is more important than establishing a temporary worker town — while they can be great short-term solutions, they can be really hard to transition away from.’’
ESTHER WHITEHEAD
● ‘‘I think our council is advocating well for our community’s needs on the whole … I definitely have the appetite to see what legal levers we can pull …’’
● ‘‘Resourcing more staff within the council … to support seeking solutions, ‘fighting’ Airbnb battles, and ensuring community voices are prioritised in all new development. It means advocating for compact, transit-oriented, high-amenity urban form, which is what was put forward on Ladies Mile.’’
MATT WONG
● ‘‘I don’t think anyone’s doing enough … it’s a collaboration between central government, local government, developers and the community …’’
● ‘‘Communicate the intentions of what [council’s] actually working on right now. There are enough houses being built … but there’s this big gap in data around how many houses actually have people living in them, that could be used for accommodation.’’
