FAQs

A structure/master plan provides a planning and design framework that guides the development of an area. It may be viewed as a ‘road map’ for future development. Structure plans take an integrated and sustainable approach to transport, infrastructure, environmental and land use planning in response to anticipated future growth. Looking ahead 30 years, structure plans are divided into three phases: short-term (about three (3) years), medium-term (10 years), and long-term (30 years).

This approach helps ensure development of the corridor takes place in an integrated manner, even when different areas are owned by different people or managed by other organisations. Additionally, structure plans give clear information to developers, local councils, stakeholders, government and the community about what to expect over time from new projects in areas that are growing or being improved.

Te Tapuae Structure plan covers approximately 1300 hectares in the Coneburn Valley, from the south of the Kawarau River to Lake Whakatipu at Homestead Bay. The area has a mix of open space, residential, recreation, farming and industrial uses and is home to some of the district’s newest neighbourhoods.

The structure plan is a long-term plan aiming to guide development over the next 20–30 years, allowing for around 9,300 homes, an expanded town centre and new commercial and industrial areas. It outlines areas for housing, business, and industry, while ensuring growth is well-planned and supported by the right infrastructure.

We are conscious there are limited areas available for development in the district and want to ensure that the remaining areas are developed efficiently.  By shifting away from large, lower density properties to more medium and high density housing, we can better support things like a supermarket, additional educational facilities, schools, libraries, sport centres and public transport – helping to build well-connected and vibrant communities. 

The Te Tapuae Southern Corridor was identified in the Queenstown Lakes Spatial Plan 2021 as being one of six Priority Development Areas.  It was seen as a place that could potentially support up to 10,000 new homes.   However, further detailed investigation was required and we needed to understand the area’s opportunities and challenges. The structure plan is the result of this detailed work. 

We have had to make a number of decisions throughout the development of the structure plan – including increasing the  mix of housing types and densities to support things like shops, community services, better transport options and potentially new ways to access the area.

Although development has been taking place in Te Tapuae Southern Corridor for many years, it has increased significantly in the last five years. We have heard from the community that they want more than just housing – they want well-connected and well serviced neighbourhoods.

This draft structure plan is our first step in creating a vision for how the corridor could grow.   We have some ready and willing developers who have indicated a desire to work with Council, as long as the structure plan continues to progress in a timely manner.  This presents a great opportunity to get some really positive results for the community and prepare for the future.  

Te Tapuae Southern Corridor is growing fast - the population has grown by 260% over the past five years, reaching around 3,840 residents.  This growth is likely to continue, with or without a plan.

Without a structure plan, development will continue to be led by individual and separate developments.  This makes it more difficult to achieve the best outcome for the entire corridor in a co-ordinated fashion.  

The community has told us clearly that more housing options are needed. New neighbourhoods must offer a mix of housing types to suit different needs and budgets. We know that the market is unlikely deliver the affordable homes that are needed on its own.

We think there is a real opportunity to capture some of the value from the new zoning and increased densities and reinvest this into perpetual affordable housing.  We have worked very closely with the Queenstown Lakes Community Housing Trust to deliver a pipeline of affordable housing and see this as an opportunity to continue to do this.  We hear on a regular basis what a critical issue this is.

Once the structure plan is complete, separate plan changes or variations to the district plan will be needed to implement the broader objectives outlined in the structure plan.  There will be opportunities for the public to be involved in these processes moving forward as per the usual RMA process.

The Fast Track Approvals Act 2024 is a new fast-track process to facilitate the delivery of infrastructure and development projects with significant regional or national benefits.   There are two developments listed in the schedule 2 that will impact on the pace of development in the corridor, these include;  

1. RCL Homestead Bay Ltd is proposing the development of approximately 2,800 residential allotments, an approximately 1,100 square metre commercial retail precinct, and associated features such as parks, trails, and native revegetation. 
2. NZSki Ltd is proposing an upgrade to existing infrastructure at the Remarkables Ski Area, including a new passenger transport lift, carparking areas, and expanding the ski field into the adjacent Doolans Basin.

These projects will be considered by an independent panel appointed by government. This process is different to that of the plan change or resource consent process via the Resource Management Act.

As a result of these impending fast track projects the structure plan has been progressed at pace to ensure that whole of corridor is considered.  Staging of the provision of infrastructure has also been investigated so that a pipeline of development can continue if alternative funding and delivery pathways can be worked through with developers. There is a real opportunity to get some good outcomes for the community if we can keep progressing with this momentum.  

We’ve done a detailed study on wastewater options and identified two main choices. In the short to medium term, we plan to send wastewater to the Shotover Treatment Plant. In the longer term, we’re looking at possibly building a new treatment plant in the Te Tapuae area. However, disposing of treated water in the corridor isn’t a practicable option. We're still working out what the best long-term option is.

The structure plan acknowledges that there are significant transportation constraints and alternative transport options are needed.  This could be in the way of an additional river crossing to service both active and public transport and/or via an alternative high frequency public transport system.  Further work is needed to determine what is the best option for our community moving forward as the transport effects are not just a Te Tapuae Southern Corridor problem - a network-wide response is needed.  We thought it was important to highlight a potential route so to demonstrate our thinking, but wanted to make it clear that this route is only a proposal.   A separate detailed investigation will be required.

This decision is two-fold – firstly do we want to continue to have all the wastewater in the Whakatipu basin treated in the one location: is this the best use of land? How much will the upfront costs be to build a new plant compared to upgrading the existing one in Shotover?  How much more money will it cost to operate two plants?  Does having two plants give us a more resilient network, and if so, by how much? These are the questions that Council still needs to work through and this will form the next steps of the process. As for where would a second wastewater treatment plant would go,  two possible locations are shown in the Structure Plan and we’d like to know if there is any community preference on these sites.  From Council’s perspective there are pros and cons for each location.

The possible site to the north does not have good ground conditions and ground improvements work would be required before a wastewater treatment plant could be constructed there. There is also the QEII landscape covenant over the land and designing a WWTP to abide to these landscape requirements will be challenging. This site does have advantages from a network perspective, given it is low lying and a significant amount of wastewater would be able to gravity drain into it and reduce the requirement for pumpstations. It is also closer to Frankton and less energy would be required to convey it to Frankton for disposal.

The possible wastewater treatment plant to the south has better ground conditions and it would be easier and more affordable to construct a wastewater treatment plant here.   However, the site is on one of the highest areas in the corridor and pump stations would be required. This will require more energy and will have associated operating costs.  Additionally it would require more energy to pump it to Frankton for disposal.  

The wastewater from some areas of the Corridor, such as Hanleys Farm, already gets treated and disposed of at the Shotover wastewater treatment plant and disposal fields.  The wastewater treatment plant is currently going through an upgrade (‘Stage 3’), the growth in the Corridor has been accounted for in this upgrade. Due to the performance issues of the disposal fields QLDC are currently working through different solutions on how to dispose of the wastewater that comes from the treatment plant, the additional growth from this area is being considered as part of that solution. 

An offline transport system refers to transport modes that do not use the existing road network, in this case it refers to transport modes that are ‘offline’ of the SH6 and do not use the existing Kawarau Falls Bridge.

A high capacity transport system refers to modes of transport that can move around 2,000 to 5,000 people per hour.   Therefore, an offline high capacity transport system is for an alternative mode of transport that can accommodate between 2-5,000 people and does not rely on the SH6.

For the public consultation we have chosen to show the alignment of an aerial solution (i.e. gondola) on the Structure Plan.  Although this is not the confirmed mode for an alternative solution, it gives the community an idea where it could go and the location of stations and how it could be integrated into the Corridor’s Development – and we want to know your views on it.  

As it is an aerial alignment there are less constraints on where the alignment could when compared to roads and bridges, and some of the advantages of this alignment include that it does not go directly over existing houses, it is relatively straight, it connects to the entrance to the NZSki Remarks SKi Field and the proposed high density areas and urban centres.

The provision of public transport is the remit of the Otago Regional Council (ORC), but we’re working closely with the ORC to understand the needs of our community.

There has been regular communications with QEII throughout the development of the Structure Plan and QEII values are incorporated within it.  A key feature of the structure plan is the restoration of the wetland, which will enhance the ecological values of the area and aligns with QEII’s vision.  We will continue to work alongside QEII to ensure the land can be best used to inspire people to access and connect with it.   Discussions have also included the potential for infrastructure on QEII land, such as a wastewater treatment plant.  Any infrastructure on the land would be required to abide by the QEII covenant, which provides for large open space areas.

Significant natural hazard assessments and risk assessments are being undertaken to inform the draft structure plan, which are being done in line with the requirements of the Proposed Otago Regional Policy Statement.  The natural hazards identified in the area are: alluvial fans (both debris-dominated and floodwater-dominated), liquefaction and flooding.   

We think its really important to understand what is needed to make the corridor grow well – this includes how and when the provision of fundamental infrastructure should occur so can include thresholds in the planning documents to ensure that it takes place.  It also gives us the ability to work with developers and the existing community to look at alternative ways to bring forward investment in the area. 

The structure plan is designed to show what we need, but work still needs to be done to ensure that funding is available at the right time, from the right organisation as we go forward. This plan will require investment commitment from the council, NZTA, ORC and Ministry of Education amongst others. We are working with them to advocate for the best possible outcomes for the community and to secure suitable funding.

 Currently there is some funding in QLDC’s Long Term Plan with the main form of investment scheduled for 2031/2032.  We have been clear throughout the structure plan that we will need to look at alternative pathways to deliver the required infrastructure and accelerate this investment. This will include working closely with our government partners, landowners, developers (including neighbouring) and the community.

The availability and cost of infrastructure and services is a key consideration for determining when services are provided. The structure planning process will help us maximise the use of existing infrastructure and services, and plan and coordinate funding for new infrastructure. Some of the required infrastructure upgrades are provided for in the Long Term Plan now, but most will require additional consideration.

The Long-Term Plan 2024-34 identifies some infrastructure projects planned for the area and likely to occur in the next 4-10 years, these are related to library planning, roading (network optimisation), Community services and facilities (library, event centre, community building and swimming pool), as well as significant water and wastewater investment.

We are working closely with government, Otago Regional Council and utility providers to ensure that the draft structure plan will inform any network planning that is taking place.  Schooling, energy supply, alternative transport options and are also considered essential to the delivery of the structure plan.

We agree the provision of schools in the corridor is important to its success.  We are working closely with the Ministry of Education to future-proof the potential for schooling in the corridor.  It would be ideal from a community and transport perspective to have both a primary and high school in the corridor.  However, this is not our call to make and needs to be further investigated by the Ministry of Education.   This structure plan will help inform the future planning of new schools.   Similarly to transport, the Ministry of Education needs to take a network-wide approach to school planning.   Whatever the end outcome is, we will need to work this through as part of the transport solution.

There is an existing medical centre at Jacks Point Village.  Any additional provision could be considered as part of the plan change / variation process.

The draft structure plan has been informed by the expert reporting across the following disciplines from both internal and external experts:

• Urban Design
• Cultural
• Landscape
• Ecology
• Natural Hazards
• Commercial/Economic
• Parks, reserves and community
• Wastewater
• Water
• Stormwater
• Transport (all modes)

These reports will be available once the structure plan is finalised and adopted by the Council, this is set down for September 2025.

Te Tapuae Southern Corridor structure plan process has been progressing over the past 18 months, and as part of this work, early stakeholder and community consultation was undertaken 2023. This included workshops with large landowners, and partner organisations such as iwi, ORC and government departments. 

Two public drop-in sessions were held in Te Tapuae Southern Corridor in November 2023, aiming to inform and educate members of the community about the structure planning process, and collect information about their aspirations for development in the area, The summary of theses session is available on the council website here.  The findings from the stakeholder workshops and the community engagement sessions have informed the structure plan.

• Area identified for growth in the Spatial Plan – 2021
• Funding secured through the Three Waters Better Off Fund
• Early stakeholder and community consultation – 2023
• Expert reporting 2024/25
• Council approval sought for public feedback – June 11 2025
• Draft Structure Plan released for non-statutory public feedback – June 16
• Non-statutory public feedback closes – 20 July
• Final Structure Plan adopted by Council – September 2025
• Implementation and initiate inclusion of Structure Plan in the District Plan begins – September 2025.