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by QLDC Councillor Melissa White

Living in the Queenstown Lakes district often feels like a privilege. We’re surrounded by incredible landscapes, vibrant towns, and a place that people from all over the world dream of visiting. But paradise, as many locals know, comes with a price and increasingly, that price is being felt by the people who live and work here.

Over the past decade our district has experienced rapid growth. That growth brings opportunity, but it also brings pressure. Roads, water systems, wastewater networks, public spaces and community facilities all need to expand to keep up with the demands of both a growing population and millions of visitors each year. Building and maintaining that infrastructure is expensive, and much of the cost falls on local ratepayers.

At the same time, many of the people who keep our towns running, hospitality workers, teachers, healthcare staff, tradespeople, are struggling with the cost of living here. Housing affordability remains one of our biggest challenges. For many workers, finding a secure and reasonably priced place to live in the district is difficult. That puts real strain on businesses, services and the fabric of our communities.

Tourism is a vital part of our local economy. It supports thousands of jobs and brings life and energy to our towns. But it also creates significant pressure on infrastructure, transport networks, and the natural environments that make this place so special. We often ask a simple and fair question: are visitors contributing enough to the costs they generate?

This is where tools like the International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy (IVL) come in. The levy, introduced and later increased by the Government, was intended to help fund tourism infrastructure and conservation efforts across New Zealand. In principle, it is a sensible idea, visitors contributing toward the places they come to enjoy.

However, many communities like ours are still waiting to see the benefits. Despite the enormous number of international visitors that pass through our district each year, the funding from this levy has not flowed in a way that meaningfully addresses the infrastructure pressures we experience on the ground. Local ratepayers continue to shoulder a large share of the costs.

Council is caught in the middle of this challenge. We are expected to provide the infrastructure required for growth and tourism, while at the same time keeping rates affordable for residents. That balance is becoming harder to maintain.

Paradise has a price. The real question for our community and for decision-makers at every level of government, is how fairly that price is shared.

If we want places like Queenstown Lakes to remain not just beautiful destinations, but thriving communities, we need funding systems that recognise the realities of high-growth visitor regions. Locals should not be left carrying the burden alone.