Frankton Arm and Sunshine Bay Reserve Management Plan

Join the conversation and share your ideas for our Whakatipu lakefront reserves

We’d love to hear how you use and enjoy the Frankton Arm, Sunshine Bay and Kelvin Peninsula reserves, along and near the lakefront – and your ideas for how they should be managed in the future.

It’s important we hear from a wide range of people across our community to help shape plan that supports a shared vision for these spaces.

We’d like you to tell us:

• what you love about these reserves
• what’s not working so well (now or as we grow)
• your ideas to help shape the future of these public spaces

Background

We’re reviewing the existing Sunshine Bay, Frankton and Kelvin Heights Foreshore Management Plan (1991). It's nearly 35 years old and no longer reflects how much our district — and the lakefront — has changed. We want to make sure the plan supports how people use and enjoy these areas today, and reflects what our community wants for the future.

The existing plan aims to balance public recreation and access, commercial activities and protecting the natural environment. A lot of the key issues and objectives of the plan are still relevant but need updating. We want your input on how best we can manage these reserves now and in the future.

>>Read the existing Sunshine Bay, Frankton and Kelvin Heights Foreshore Management Plan (1991)

The updated plan will be renamed the Frankton Arm and Sunshine Bay Reserve Management Plan (RMP).

It will guide the management and development of the lakefront reserves along the Frankton Arm to the Kelvin Peninsula and Sunshine Bay (excluding Queenstown Bay and Queenstown Gardens). This includes walking and biking trails, recreation opportunities, commercial activities, landscape and biodiversity values, pest control and ecological restoration (including willow removal and revegetation).

Frankton Arm and Sunshine Bay Reserves Map
(click on map to view larger version)

How to have your say

The early engagement stage is a chance to tell us your ideas, both big and small.

Please read the existing plan, then from Monday 8 June head to the interactive map below and drop a pin to tell us:

• what you value
• anything that could be improved
• your ideas for the future

Feedback to help inform the draft Frankton Arm and Sunshine Bay RMP will be open from Monday 8 June till Monday 6 July 2026.

Got a question?

Please submit it on the 'Ask a question' form below and we'll get it answered as soon as possible. All questions and answers will be published for everyone to see.

What is a Reserve Management Plan?

It’s a plan (prepared under the Reserves Act) that sets the direction for how Council manages and looks after reserves - including how they’re used, protected and developed over time. It guides day-to-day decisions and long-term planning.

Next steps

All community feedback will be considered by the Parks team and used to shape a draft Reserve Management Plan. The draft will then be endorsed by Council before being released for formal public consultation in early 2027.