Queenstown Lakes District Council moving to reduce reliance on tourism

A plane at Queenstown Airport. Photo / Unsplash

By RNZ
Queenstown Lakes District Council has announced a new campaign aimed to shake off the perception it's a holiday-only destination.

The council's economic development unit unveiled Home for Healthier Business this morning.

The campaign is dedicated to attracting business leaders, employers and talent to the district with hopes it will help to diversify its economy.

The district was one of the hardest hit in the country when the borders cut off its lifeblood of international visitors.

The council's economic development manager Peter Harris said a new website had been set up to showcase information and resources to help people move to the district, establish a business and make connections.

It will also have details on local schools, services and property, as well as sharing personal stories of local entrepreneurs and employers.

"Queenstown Lakes district has a global reputation as a spectacular place to visit and holiday, but we want to challenge the perception of our district as a place simply to come on holiday," Harris said.

"We have an exciting and progressive community of talent and innovation here, which we want to build on. Home for Healthier Business is a campaign to showcase Queenstown, Wanaka and surrounding communities as thriving places to live and do business while forging a regenerative economy."

The economic development unit received $75,000 from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment for the pilot.

It's a collaboration led by the unit with the support of Destination Queenstown, Lake Wanaka Tourism and Startup Queenstown Lakes.

Harris said the project aligned with the council's wider economic diversification plan and intended to attract those who wanted to grow teams in a low carbon, non-extractive industries and regenerative initiatives.

"We envision these people establishing new businesses or transferring existing enterprises to the region. It is not a 'mass attraction' campaign; it's about recruiting a small number of individuals, many of whom already have a connection to the region, and providing them with the resources, tools and networks they need to embed in the community. We hope to support them to grow their business here, and ideally open up new employment opportunities and career pathways for locals," he said.

"We believe that with Home for Healthier Business, as well as Council's other economic diversification initiatives and the incredible work already underway by our local business community, we are heading in the right direction for creating an economy that is resilient and safeguarded from future domestic or global events."

- RNZ