Issue #896

by David Gibbs, Queenstown Media Group

Around three quarters of people living in Queenstown Lakes rate their quality of life as ‘good or better’, according to a survey by Queenstown Lakes District Council. While the results were published only a couple of weeks ago, I remember filling it out back in October, which feels like a lifetime ago. I would place money that the results would be very different if it were taken today. So much has changed and so quickly.

Unless you are uber wealthy, interest rate rises are taking a big bite out of your monthly budget. Rates are now around 7% fixed or 8% floating, and with last week’s Reserve Bank interest rate rise locals are looking at another increase of over $420 per week on a 30-year loan for an average Queenstown house. That’s just not sustainable for most people. If you don’t own a home, the stress is instead provided by rising rental costs and the insecurity over your tenancy, as we’ve seen with the recent housing protest. Inflation is also hitting everyone in the pocket, and with cyclones destroying crops too, the price of food is rocketing. Some produce seems to have disappeared altogether - anyone spotted a cauli recently? Queenstown is a remote town in a remote country, so all supply chain price rises have an extra impact. We also pay some of the highest petrol prices in NZ, with $2.65 now the norm before discounts. This week’s LWB poll has 60% of us now having to make hard choices about discretionary spending.

And it’s not just rising costs and accommodation. The public transport is unreliable at present, parking is a headache, traffic is increasing, there’s always some part of town under construction, and medical facilities are not up to scratch.

While some of these issues are nothing to do with QLDC, it’s perhaps no surprise the survey shows satisfaction with council hit an all-time low. The council is a bit perplexed, my words, that only 20% of us are satisfied with its performance, despite 88% of us being happy with the trails, parks and libraries it runs. But it’s the beauracracy, the big spending decisions, and planning around disruptive projects like the streetscapes, that are the real source of our angst. I wonder what the score would be now, after the mooted 13.6% average rates rise.

That said, this is all a little negative after a wonderful, rejuvenating Easter long weekend, with good weather, family and loved ones, not to mention to cricket and other events. Perhaps after three years of a pandemic, staff shortages, inflation, housing troubles, cone mayhem, etc. etc., the fact that 77% of us still have a good quality of life demonstrates just what a magical place and community this is. But I do feel QLDC needs a rethink both on the pace of data release from the survey and maybe its frequency.