Growth, in the right place.
We believe growth in the Wakatipu Basin must be well-planned and in the right locations. We are a community-led initiative engaged in ensuring the Expert Panel has access to independent, credible evidence on the Ridgeburn fast-track application on Morven Ferry Road.
Who we are
The Queenstown Smart Growth Initiative (QSGI) is a community-led incorporated society. Our purpose is to make sure the Expert Panel has access to independent, credible evidence on Ridgeburn.
We know our region needs more homes. Some of the Fast-track projects in the Queenstown Lakes area are excellent and much needed, and we support development that is well located and fits the long-term growth plan.
But location matters. The Council’s Spatial Plan, built through years of community consultation, already identifies serviced land with room for growth on this scale. Ridgeburn isn’t on it.
Many of us are planners, architects, economists and engineers who have worked on developments ourselves. We coordinate expert input to give the Panel a credible, evidence-based picture on behalf of the wider community.
The application was withdrawn on 22 July and is expected to be resubmitted. A pause is not a win.
Why we’re concerned
Wrong place
Ridgeburn sits about six kilometres beyond the growth boundary our community agreed. QLDC’s own assessment shows room for around 23,600 more homes inside that boundary, a development of this scale of not required.
One highway
With no direct public transport, every resident will rely on a private vehicle, adding to traffic problems on SH6 that are already felt every day.
Who pays?
Ridgeburn would run its own private water, wastewater and roading, with the ongoing costs falling on residents. What happens if it fails, or becomes too costly to maintain? QLDC has said it has no plans to take it over.
Our visitor economy
Queenstown welcomes over 1.1 million visitors a year, and traffic is already their number one complaint.
A precedent for the Basin
There are a number of out-of-zone Fast-track applications in the Basin. What happens with Ridgeburn sets a precedent for the future of the Basin and for the other Fast-tracks on the horizon.
Help us fund the evidence
This is not a done deal. We’ve assembled a team of independent experts and the evidence is being built. But expert evidence costs money, and with the application withdrawn and due to be resubmitted, some costs will rise. Our budget is now $240,000, and we’re about halfway there.
Without a full team, the Panel doesn’t get the full picture. This is the community’s one opportunity to put independent evidence before the Panel. Every contribution, whatever the size, helps. Donations are anonymous.
Donations can be made to:
Queenstown Smart Growth Initiative Inc
Account: 02-0673-0185863-000
QSGI is a registered incorporated society run by volunteers. Donations are kept private, and all of them go towards independent expert evidence and professional advice.
What is Ridgeburn?
The Ridgeburn fast-track application seeks to develop 1,210 residential lots on 212 hectares of land, alongside a commercial precinct comprising of a supermarket, daycare, shared office space/retail and hospitality, and a 220-room Accomodation with pool, spa, gym and dining facilities. The site sits approximately 10km from Frankton and 5km from Arrowtown, with no connection to existing council infrastructure networks and no access to public transport.
The land is zoned Rural Amenity and Rural under the Queenstown Lakes District Plan, and sits outside the areas identified for growth in QLDC's Spatial Plan; a framework developed through years of community consultation specifically to direct growth to well-located, well-serviced areas.
The application is being progressed through the Government's Fast-track Approvals Act 2024, outside of the usual Resource Management Act planning processes.
Comparison images Arrowtown boundary and Ridgeburn.
What is Fast-track, and who gets a say?
Fast-track is a government process that speeds up approvals for projects judged to have significant economic benefits. It lets a project proceed outside the usual council planning processes and public consultation under the Resource Management Act. The main consideration is economic benefit, not alignment with local planning.
Ministers decide whether a project is referred into the process. An expert panel then decides the application.
There is no open public submission stage. Only councils, iwi, government bodies such as NZTA and DOC, and direct or adjacent neighbours are invited to comment.
The council can comment but has no decision-making role.
There is no appeal to the Environment Court, only to the High Court on points of law.
QSGI will either be invited to comment by the EPA or will comment through direct and adjacent neighbours. We will do everything we can to make sure the community voice is heard.
Our role in the process
Challenging a fast-track application takes time, expertise, resources and a united community response. QSGI is gathering clear, credible evidence on the true impacts of a development this size on our region. That takes significant investment and isn’t something individuals can reasonably be expected to do alone. The window for input is extremely limited, so every person who joins and every contribution strengthens our ability to respond.
