2025 AGM with guest speaker Quentin Smith, Deputy Mayor QLDC

On Wednesday 12 November, we held our 2025 AGM at Queenstown Events Centre.

We were delighted to host deputy mayor Quentin Smith, who gave a presentation about the ‘Growth Conundrum’ faced by Queenstown Lakes district.

Quentin’s presentation laid out the facts: our district is growing fast, and the pressure is showing up everywhere: on our roads, in our infrastructure, and access to affordable housing.

Transport keeps coming up as a major pinch point, and there’s a real question around how we balance the needs of locals with the realities of being a high-profile tourist destination.

There’s also the ongoing debate about whether growth in the district is paying for growth: or is it making affordability harder for locals?

Looking ahead, there are some big calls on the horizon: intensifying how and where we build, whether RMA changes will help, how and if regional deals might support us, and whether we can realistically shift how people move around the district.

All of this makes it really clear how important it is to have community voices at the table, which is where Shaping our Future comes in. We bring residents, Community Associations and businesses together to talk about what matters most, and what kind of future people want for our district.