Local residents have presented creative solutions to some of the issues in the community.

Four key priorities to ‘shape the future’ of local communities were gleaned from recent Shaping our Future (SoF) surveys and forums: cohesive and purposeful long-term vision and values; economic diversity; housing affordability and the cost of living; and access to quality healthcare. 

The purpose was to learn how the community feels on the most pressing priorities needing to be addressed to achieve social, cultural, economic and environmental ‘wellbeing’.

SoF Board chair Vanessa van Uden said while the issues identified as key priorities were not unexpected, some of the suggested solutions to the issues provided in the public feedback were surprising.

“Most of us would have expected those issues to surface as top priority items... [but] the greatest value was in the solutions to these issues that group discussions came up with,” she said.

Vanessa van Uden PHOTO: Supplied

For example, some of the solutions collectively presented to address the issue of accessing quality healthcare included a separate health system for tourists; care and access online; a new hospital with trained specialists; compulsory mental health education in schools; subsidised dental care for everyone; and looking after our neighbours.

Shaping our Future is a non-profit, independent advisory group whose mission is to give everybody in the community a voice and influence government’s policies accordingly. Its board includes Vanessa, a former QLDC mayor, current Wanaka Community Board chair Barry Bruce and Wanaka residents Kathy Dedo, Julie Perry and Eddie Spearing.

Forty people attended the four forums in Wanaka and Queenstown in March and another 135 responded to the online survey run simultaneously.

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Vanessa said the forum attendees represented a wide range of ethnicities, occupations and longevity of residency in the region, with ages ranging from 14 to 65-years-old.

The priorities, solutions and future vision that emerged will inform Shaping our Future’s strategy for community engagement, Vanessa said.

SoF is evolving to use online tools and work in collaboration with other organisations in our community, including the Queenstown lakes District Council (QLDC), she said.

“We want to ensure many and varied voices are heard, “ Vanessa said.

The full Wellbeing Forum report can be found here.