Protect Wanaka 
QLDC Ten Year Plan and Spatial Plan – WSG submissions and what you can do [16/04/21]
The Wānaka Stakeholders Group wrote to members last night, calling on them to get involved in the submission process.
The letter is reproduced in full below.
[On Wanaka Stakeholders Group Inc. letterhead]
Dear [member’s name]
As you may know, QLDC recently published its draft Ten Year Plan and draft Spatial Plan for review and submissions. Neither are good news for Wanaka, Hawea or the rest of the Upper Clutha. In fact, as Councillors Niamh Shaw and Quentin Smith pointed out in the most recent Council meeting, these documents are very bad for our community.
What can you do to help? Read the rest of this email, but then please take the time to go online and make a submission. It doesn’t have to be long or perfectly worded. Just tell QLDC what you think about their plans for the Upper Clutha. Make some suggestions about what you think needs doing or changing or improving in this place we live in. There is further detail below. But please note that submissions close at 5.00pm on Monday 19 April 2021.
So what’s happened?
WSG committee members have worked hard to review these documents and attachments – hundreds of pages in total – and we’ve prepared our submissions to QLDC. We’ve done the best we can given the huge quantity of information, the very short time we have to review this, and the fact that we are all volunteers.
We’ve included links our full submissions for you (below). They contain our analysis of the issues with both the Ten Year Plan and the Strategic Plan, plus our recommendations. If you feel strongly about any of this, you are welcome to cut, paste and edit. If you have a little more time, please use your own words. But please make a submission. DEADLINE: 5pm this coming Monday.
Want a summary?
Just to give you a high level overview of how fundamentally disappointing the plans contained in these documents are for our community …
- There is plenty of evidence of QLDC not listening to – or even outright ignoring – the clear messages which the Upper Clutha community has been sending on multiple fronts.
- Council has shown no intention of a re-set for sustainable growth (even despite the impacts of Covid and widespread concerns about climate change).
- Population growth data used by QLDC is incomplete, unclear and contradictory. Yet it is being used as the basis for many of their plans.
- There is no evidence of commitment to QLDC’s climate emergency declaration or to the urgent and obvious need for climate action.
- QLDC is moving forward with a “dual airport strategy” (that means that a jet capable Wanaka Airport is NOT off the table), and there is no “Plan B” (not involving jets and massive growth).
- In so many areas, the Upper Clutha misses out (to pick just one example, the promises around active transport for Wanaka are going to be broken, and the budget slashed).
Whichever way you look at this, it is not good for the Upper Clutha.
Our submissions
Here’s what you can do
What can you do? Quite simply, make a submission. This can be done online or via email if you wish.
- Ten Year Plan – details and submission links here: https://letstalk.qldc.govt.nz/ten-year-plan-2021-31
- Spatial Plan – details and submission links here: https://letstalk.qldc.govt.nz/spatial-plan
We know that strong submissions are being made by many of the residents associations, plus organisations like Bike Wanaka and Wao Charitable Trust. If we don’t all speak up, QLDC will just move forward with their plans.
Ngā mihi
The Committee and Core of
Wānaka Stakeholders Group Inc.
PS We can’t reply quickly to emails at present. We know that many of you might want to enter into an email conversation about this with us. We are so close to the deadline that we simply don’t have the time or resource to do this. We always (eventually) read messages of support and encouragement, but please understand that we cannot engage in conversations about your submissions, or even promise to reply quickly.
