FAQs

The QLDC Proposed District Plan Designation #374 authorises Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) to carry out forestry operations in the area known as Te Tapunui Queenstown Hill Recreational Reserve.  
A designation is a planning technique used to authorise works and activities by a requiring authority (such as a council, government organisation or network utility operator) on a particular site, without the need for land use consent.

The draft Te-Taumata-o-Hakitekura Ben Lomond & Te Tapunui Queenstown Hill Reserve Management Plan has a policy to ‘Implement as a priority Te Tapunui Queenstown Hill Forestry Management Plan to remove pest species, particularly Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii)’.

The draft forestry plan, alongside the draft Te Tapunui Queenstown Hill Reserve Management Plan, plays a crucial role in setting out the future intentions for the Reserve including how tree management will occur and what revegetation will look like.

Three planting zones are proposed:

Native tree species:  The urban boundary of the reserve will be planted with hardy fast-growing low flammable native trees and shrubs that can establish quickly (such as pittosporum, broadleaf, coprosma, carmichaelia, wineberry, five finger, tutu).  

Mixed native and exotic tree species:  The central area of the reserve will be planted with a mixture of native and exotic species to enhance ecological diversity. Planting exotics will ensure that canopy cover is achieved more quickly, which in turn will minimise the “window of vulnerability” for erosion and land instability.

Restoring the central area with a sequoia-dominated exotic forest will ensure that much of this aesthetic is retained.

Patch planting across the site or planting in clusters with other non-invasive exotic tree species such as elm, oak and ash will provide a more diverse aesthetic than the monoculture appearance provided by the current conifer-dominated forest.

Grey tussock and shrubland species: sub-alpine grassland and grey shrubland species typical of the wider Central Otago/Lakes District landscape will be planted above 620m.

Without active management and intervention, wilding conifers will continue to spread, creating a monoculture which threatens the landscape and its ecological values, resulting in the loss of biodiversity within and beyond the reserve. Wildings reduce water yield and land productivity and limit future land use. The Otago economic analysis estimates an overall cost benefit-to-cost ratio is 96-1 for every dollar invested in controlling wilding infestations and preventing spread (as prepared in 2022 for MPI on behalf of the National Wilding Conifer Control Programme). This ratio means that doing nothing, or doing little, will generate a large negative economic impact relating to the adverse effects of wilding conifers.

The Whakatipu Wilding Conifer Control Group (WCG) was established by QLDC in 2009 to obtain funding and implement a work program to remove the threat of wilding conifers.  QLDC has made an ongoing financial contribution to the WCG for the management of wilding conifers since its formation.  Ahika Consulting were engaged by the WCG and QLDC to write the first draft of Te Tapunui Queenstown Hill Forestry Plan.  The removal of the wilding conifer seed source across the reserve is an initiative that supports the WCG Strategic Plan 2023-2033 endorsed by Council. You can read the WCG Strategic Plan in the documents section.

An Outline Plan is required to be prepared following the approval of the forestry plan which contains operational detail such as a Harvest Plan, Environmental Management Plan, and detailed Pest Control Plan.

There are opportunities within the draft forestry plan to carry out staging of the harvest, removing the trees over a shorter or longer period.  An option is coupe felling whereby smaller areas of trees are removed.  There are advantages and disadvantages to delaying the program and the draft forestry plan allows this flexibility.

There is no funding in the QLDC Long Term Plan (LTP) 2024-2034 to implement the draft Forestry Plan. 

The LTP does include a capital budget of $21 million to progress the wildfire reduction program. Specifically, there is a wildfire mitigation budget of $1,067,000 in year 2026/27 of the LTP; and there are elements of the draft Forestry Plan which may align to this funding. 

The reserve was not planted as a production forest, but it does contain some merchantable timber.  However, challenges such as slope, rock outcrops, access, and the presence of power lines will impact the feasibility of logging.  Harvesting may not generate an economic return due to the site difficulties, although it may offset some costs associated with the operation. 

Government initiatives which would help with tree removals and tree planting may be available in the future.  An example is the National Wilding Conifer Control Programme which is led by Ministry for Primary Industries.

The wilding conifers located above the reserve such as those that border the Timewalk Trail are on privately owned Queenstown Hill Station and do not form part of the QLDC Forestry Plan.

A submission is formal feedback, and it’s the way you can present your views on the proposal. It’s your chance to present your opinions, observations, and recommendations on the draft Forestry Plan to help the Councillors make an informed decision.

Any individual or group/organisation can make a submission, and your submission can support, oppose, or express a point of view on the draft Forestry Plan. This process is directed by the section 83 of the Local Government Act 2002 (LGA) Special Consultative Procedure set out in section 83 of the Local Government Act 2002.

You have the opportunity to attend a hearing where you can speak to the decision makers (hearings panel) about your submission. The hearings panel for the draft Forestry Plan is made up of three QLDC Councillors.  

If you choose to speak at a hearing, someone from Council will be in touch to arrange an appropriate speaking time and confirm the time allocation afforded to each submitter wishing to be heard.