On The Tiles - Local Edition: Queenstown mayoral race all about the economy

Senior Multimedia Journalist·NZ Herald·

12 Sep, 2022 05:00 PM3 mins to read

It's a six-horse race for Queenstown's mayoralty. Photo / 123rf

The buzzword on the campaign trail for Queenstown's mayoralty is "diversification" after Covid-19 hit the region's tourism economy hard.

Otago Daily Times Queenstown bureau chief Tracey Roxburgh said it's a six-horse race for the top job and the candidates were all talking about economic diversification.

"But there's not that much meat on the bones yet to understand exactly how they propose to achieve that," she told the Herald's politics podcast On The Tiles - Local Edition.

Roxburgh said the tech industry, education, and housing affordability all played into shifting the economy.

"If you can't get people who can afford to live here, you can't diversify an economy."

Housing affordability was the biggest barrier Queenstown faced and the heat was yet to come out of the market, Roxburgh said.

Renters were also affected because accommodation was being switched back to Airbnb offerings now the country's borders have opened again, she said.

There's a crowded field vying to replace outgoing mayor Jim Boult.

Alistair Angus, a "salt of the earth" Glenorchy man, has come back for his fourth crack, Roxburgh said.

Sitting councillor Glyn Lewers is also in the running - he was elected onto council last year via an infamous coin toss after he tied with AJ Mason on 2183 votes.

Daniel Shand is less known but an "interesting cat" who lives in the area and is a builder by trade, Roxburgh said.

"He hasn't been able to attend very many of the forums so far because he has had to work, but his hoardings say you can trust him because he's not a politician."

Longtime local and restaurant owner Neeta Shetty is in the running as well as Jon Mitchell who is probably best known as Labour's Southland candidate in the last general election.

Finally, Olivia Wensley has worked as a lawyer but is currently the chief executive of startup Queenstown lakes.

The candidates are yet to be pressed on rates, which have only recently been struck, but Roxburgh said rates were always a contentious issue in Queenstown.

New Zealand Herald senior writer Simon Wilson told the podcast the critical reason rates were so controversial in many communities across the country was because they are one big bill.

But he said this was also because rates invited people to start talking about what that money should be spent on.

"Quite often you get an argument that there are core services council should be looking after taking away the rubbish, filling potholes ... and the other things are luxuries.

"You don't see that argument happening at a national level, but you do at a local level, so that becomes a problem."