Long Term Plan 2027-2037 pre engagement

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A combination of reforms, growth and potential rate caps are putting more pressure than ever on Queenstown Lakes District Council budgets and capacity. This means difficult conversations need to be had when developing the next long-term budget.

This is why we want to know what matters most to you, so Council can prioritise the right things when making tough decisions about spending. Your feedback will be an important part of determining what to prioritise and discuss when making our 10-year budget.


But first, what does Council actually do?

Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) does a lot, but not everything.

As shown in the diagram below, QLDC’s role is to provide things like local infrastructure and services, and to make local regulations. Much of what QLDC does is determined by Parliament in Wellington, or by Otago Regional Council in Dunedin.

Click here to enlarge the image.

While there are proposed changes to how Councils work. These changes are unlikely to come into effect soon. Therefore, we need to work within the areas of responsibility Council has right now, not what they may be responsible for in the future.

As you can see above, Council does a lot – especially when it comes to growth and essential services like roading, water and waste collection. Much of how Council operates behind the scenes may change in the next few years, such as reforming how town planning works, how councils work together and fund themselves, as well as how water management works.

While the essential work we do must go on, these reforms add more external pressure on Council during the budget planning period.


On top of all of Council's usual responsibilities, the Queenstown Lakes District happens to be Aotearoa New Zealand’s premier visitor destination and fastest growing district.

These two pressures have shaped Council's role and ability to service the district over the last 10 years. Responding to (and attempting to manage) growth and tourism has become a key part of what Council does.

A key part of managing the dual challenges of growth and catering to a high visitor population has been for the Council to ‘get the basics right first’ to ensure spending is allocated where it is needed most. This was the guiding approach for the last long-term budget.


So, where does Council revenue go?

As shown below, most day-to-day Council money last year was spent on community services and facilities, three-waters (drinking, waste, and stormwater), roading and transport, and waste management. Most spending on big long-term projects, like infrastructure, was on roading and three-waters projects. Total Council spending is roughly split between these two categories, with most of the spending across both categories allocated to support the tremendous amount of growth and development in the district.

Click here to enlarge the image.

QLDC is in the process of creating a Water Services Council Controlled Organisation (WSCCO). The breakdown of spending in future budgets will change because of this.

QLDC’s ability to spend money on local issues is limited. Therefore, we need to carefully prioritise how ratepayers and the districts’ money is spent to get the most bang for our buck.

Within all the areas displayed above, hard decisions need to be made to determine if the services QLDC provides should be increased, maintained, or potentially decreased to adapt to a tough fiscal environment and potential rate capping.

The government in Wellington has proposed changes regarding caps on Council rates. While the details have yet to be determined, Council needs to incorporate potential capping of rates into its long-term planning. This means tough choices regarding what services Council should increase, maintain or decrease will need to occur during this budget period.


Get involved and help set our district’s direction

We would like to know what matters most to you and your neighbourhood or community so Council can prioritise spending money on the right things and prepare Council’s Long-Term Plan 2027-2037.

The Long Term Plan sets the direction of the Council for the next ten years, providing a long-term focus on how it will deliver services to the district. We've detailed how the Long-Term Plan works on this webpage here.

We’ve asked a range of questions below. Your thoughts on each will help inform the elected Council’s future decision-making. You can also interact with what other participants have shared by commenting on those posts or upvoting statements. Simply click the question you want to answer or see what others have shared in response to.

Feedback will run from Monday 15 December 2025 through to Sunday 8 February 2026.

As this process continues, future engagement opportunities may be held to build an even clearer picture and more consensus around detailing spending plans, to help inform Councillors ahead of development of the draft LTP 2027-2037 and formal consultation in early 2027.

When planning what to spend money on, we need to focus on things Council can influence. So, when posting ideas make sure to check if it references what Council has influence over.


What happens next?

All feedback will be reviewed and shared with Councillors at a workshop on Tuesday 17 February 2026, to assist them with steering and helping to develop the Long-Term Plan 2027-2037.

Formal consultation on a draft of Long-Term Plan 2027-2037 is expected to take place in early 2027.

A combination of reforms, growth and potential rate caps are putting more pressure than ever on Queenstown Lakes District Council budgets and capacity. This means difficult conversations need to be had when developing the next long-term budget.

This is why we want to know what matters most to you, so Council can prioritise the right things when making tough decisions about spending. Your feedback will be an important part of determining what to prioritise and discuss when making our 10-year budget.


But first, what does Council actually do?

Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) does a lot, but not everything.

As shown in the diagram below, QLDC’s role is to provide things like local infrastructure and services, and to make local regulations. Much of what QLDC does is determined by Parliament in Wellington, or by Otago Regional Council in Dunedin.

Click here to enlarge the image.

While there are proposed changes to how Councils work. These changes are unlikely to come into effect soon. Therefore, we need to work within the areas of responsibility Council has right now, not what they may be responsible for in the future.

As you can see above, Council does a lot – especially when it comes to growth and essential services like roading, water and waste collection. Much of how Council operates behind the scenes may change in the next few years, such as reforming how town planning works, how councils work together and fund themselves, as well as how water management works.

While the essential work we do must go on, these reforms add more external pressure on Council during the budget planning period.


On top of all of Council's usual responsibilities, the Queenstown Lakes District happens to be Aotearoa New Zealand’s premier visitor destination and fastest growing district.

These two pressures have shaped Council's role and ability to service the district over the last 10 years. Responding to (and attempting to manage) growth and tourism has become a key part of what Council does.

A key part of managing the dual challenges of growth and catering to a high visitor population has been for the Council to ‘get the basics right first’ to ensure spending is allocated where it is needed most. This was the guiding approach for the last long-term budget.


So, where does Council revenue go?

As shown below, most day-to-day Council money last year was spent on community services and facilities, three-waters (drinking, waste, and stormwater), roading and transport, and waste management. Most spending on big long-term projects, like infrastructure, was on roading and three-waters projects. Total Council spending is roughly split between these two categories, with most of the spending across both categories allocated to support the tremendous amount of growth and development in the district.

Click here to enlarge the image.

QLDC is in the process of creating a Water Services Council Controlled Organisation (WSCCO). The breakdown of spending in future budgets will change because of this.

QLDC’s ability to spend money on local issues is limited. Therefore, we need to carefully prioritise how ratepayers and the districts’ money is spent to get the most bang for our buck.

Within all the areas displayed above, hard decisions need to be made to determine if the services QLDC provides should be increased, maintained, or potentially decreased to adapt to a tough fiscal environment and potential rate capping.

The government in Wellington has proposed changes regarding caps on Council rates. While the details have yet to be determined, Council needs to incorporate potential capping of rates into its long-term planning. This means tough choices regarding what services Council should increase, maintain or decrease will need to occur during this budget period.


Get involved and help set our district’s direction

We would like to know what matters most to you and your neighbourhood or community so Council can prioritise spending money on the right things and prepare Council’s Long-Term Plan 2027-2037.

The Long Term Plan sets the direction of the Council for the next ten years, providing a long-term focus on how it will deliver services to the district. We've detailed how the Long-Term Plan works on this webpage here.

We’ve asked a range of questions below. Your thoughts on each will help inform the elected Council’s future decision-making. You can also interact with what other participants have shared by commenting on those posts or upvoting statements. Simply click the question you want to answer or see what others have shared in response to.

Feedback will run from Monday 15 December 2025 through to Sunday 8 February 2026.

As this process continues, future engagement opportunities may be held to build an even clearer picture and more consensus around detailing spending plans, to help inform Councillors ahead of development of the draft LTP 2027-2037 and formal consultation in early 2027.

When planning what to spend money on, we need to focus on things Council can influence. So, when posting ideas make sure to check if it references what Council has influence over.


What happens next?

All feedback will be reviewed and shared with Councillors at a workshop on Tuesday 17 February 2026, to assist them with steering and helping to develop the Long-Term Plan 2027-2037.

Formal consultation on a draft of Long-Term Plan 2027-2037 is expected to take place in early 2027.

Page last updated: 20 Dec 2025, 09:49 AM