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by Anthony Hill - your local ‘simpleton’

Queenstown’s housing crisis, struggling infrastructure, the lack of a credible public hospital, and congestion, all seem like separate issues. But let’s get simplistic - it’s all about numbers.

And there are steps we can take to reduce the numbers of visitors and residents. For instance, we could bring forward and implement a total smoking ban in the Wakatipu basin! No smoking in public and no tobacco sales (commercial or private) permitted. Hobart has an outdoor smoking ban in its CBD. I was just in Melbourne’s Queen Victoria Market, and there was a smoking and vaping ban. Luxury. But I walk around Queenstown and I have to dodge plumes of smoke from our outdoors puffers! I’m supposed to enjoy our mountain air? Enough with them. We know we need a chance to rest our overloaded infrastructure and congestion. Simple. Ban smoking anywhere in the basin. It would immediately reduce the number of visitors and those that do come would be a healthier and fitter calibre of tourists.

And what great green advertising it would make! It would reduce our resident population size slightly, and consequently there would be less demand on our limited medical services. Sorry to my puffing friends – this is your chance to quit! That small exodus frees up housing and our non-smoking residents and visitors maybe more likely to embrace cycling, reducing congestion. There’s already a precedent, with The Remarkables skifield 100% smoke-free (and vape free) without much fuss. Remember Smoke Free 2025 – we just need to go fast and hard.

There are other simple solutions we can investigate, to make life better for locals. Take freedom camping in places such as Park Street. In the absence of freedom camping legislation, which seems to have run afoul of the courts, make Park St overnight parking for residents only. QLDC has recently introduced an overnight parking ban at the Events Centre. It would be easy to enforce in Park Street too, if residents were given permits. Alternatively, go the total capitalist route and make overnight parking $100 per vehicle ... think of the revenue for our poor council coffers.

I’ll admit, some problems don’t have the simplest solutions, such as traffic on Frankton Rd and the wider road network. Introducing a proper mass transit ferry service is an idea, but it will only work if it serves a high-density area and has parking. Frankton doesn’t really work. It is already overloaded with airport parking, and no one wants a huge Park & Ride spoiling Frankton Beach, which is too shallow anyway. Commuter ferries to the suburbs, such as Shotover Country / Lake Hayes and Jack’s Point / Hanley’s Farm, all have their own complications.

But maybe there’s another simple solution I haven’t thought of yet - any ideas?