More than 200 local dancers - from age two through to adults - from Centralpoint Dance Studios took part in the studio’s annual dance show, The Nutcracker Remixed last weekend (December 6-7) at the Lake Wānaka Centre.Dancers spent the whole of term four working on their performances for the show.The Nutcracker Remixed is Centralpoint’s modern take on the famous 19th Century classical ballet, set on Christmas Eve.Waltz of the Flower.Isabel Martin (15-years-old) and pre-primary ballet dancers.The show featured a variety of dance genres, including classical ballet, jazz, contemporary, hip hop and lyrical. The Hip-Hoppers.Approximately 750 people attended over three shows.PHOTOS: Supplied

Lake Hāwea residents are questioning why police didn't launch a homicide investigation until eight months after a woman died.Invercargill woman Karen Gaylene White died at her Lake Hāwea property on 8 March. She was 60.In November a homicide investigation was launched.On Thursday, police said she died from injuries sustained in a significant assault.Detective Senior Sergeant Regan Boucher said police were following positive lines of inquiry."Police believe people in the community hold important information about Mrs White's murder and we encourage those people to come forward."Residents told RNZ that the community was shocked and they wanted to know how it took so long to become a homicide inquiry.But they said they still felt safe in what was a small community of full time residents and holiday homes.Boucher said police this week returned to examine the Lake Hāwea property with scientists from the ESR but would not reveal further details about their investigation or what was found.In March, police initiated enquiries and treated White's death as unexplained, conducting a scene examination across the week that followed speaking with a number of people who may have been in the area.Since then, police said they had been working to determine what occurred before her death and a homicide investigation was launched after their enquiries led them to believe she died in suspicious circumstances.

Fourteen local authorities were directed to start fluoridating their drinking water by the Director-General of Health last week.While Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) wasn’t one of them, it is part of a second group which has previously been warned it is being ‘actively considered’ for fluoridationAround half of New Zealand’s drinking water supply is fluoridated, the Ministry of Health said.The 14 local authorities directed to fluoridate were prioritised “based on readiness to fluoridate, cost/value for money, high population reach, geographic coverage and equity/high need”, a Ministry of health spokesperson told the Wānaka App.QLDC, meanwhile, is one of 27 local authorities which were advised by the Director-General of Health in 2022 that they were being actively considered for a direction to fluoridate.“These water supplies remain under active consideration, however the Director-General is taking further time,” the Ministry of Health said. “This is to allow consideration of the impact of several wider factors including reform across the water services sector, and service delivery pressures across the local government sector.”A QLDC spokesperson told the Wānaka App this week the council had “no intention to voluntarily fluoridate at this time”.However, “...we continue to factor possible investment into our long-term planning in case further decisions are made by the government relating to QLDC”.PHOTO: Supplied

A record amount of capital investment for the district and significant challenges from inside and outside the district were features of this year’s annual report for Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC).The annual report on the council’s organisational performance and financial results was approved by councillors at Thursday’s (December 12) full council meeting.QLDC chief executive Mike Theelen said the report showed it had been a year of “challenges and changes”.“It reflects that we are a very busy council investing a lot of money in the future of the district,” he said. This included $107M in capital investment, which Mike said was the "highest turnout of capital we’ve ever had in the district”.QLDC was also “coping with some significant challenges along the way”, Mike said.He highlighted local challenges like last year’s cryptosporidium outbreak at the council’s Two Mile water treatment park and “major” damage at Ben Lomond after a storm last September.The change in government in 2023 also created a significant shift in direction (including new directions, tighter regulation, and emerging legislative changes), shaping the work programme in the first half of 2024 and putting pressure on the council.One of the most significant changes following the election was the repeal of the former Government’s Three Waters programme.Water investment made up a “significant portion” of QLDC’s expenditure - and contributed to record rates increases.A range of Upper Clutha projects were also funded, with new playspaces, community venues and active travel options all completed the past year.They included a new playspace at the Luggate Memorial Centre; Paetara Aspiring Central (a new, multi-use space for community organisations); and the fifth stage of the Schools to Pool active travel route.A range of roading upgrades were also funded, making getting around easier.Three new roundabouts are now operational (at Aubrey and Anderson Roads, Ballantyne and Riverbank Roads, and the Lake Hāwea dam intersection), and 9,000 metres of safety barriers, additional road signage and markings were installed on Wānaka-Mount Aspiring Road and the Cardrona Valley Road.The annual plan “speaks to a lot of activity”, Mike said.It also reflects “an increasingly professional performance by the organisation”, he said.The annual report cited an operating surplus of $82.2M for the year, well above the budgeted surplus of $53.4M.Some of the factors contributing to the “favourable” position included vested asset revenue (assets contributed to the council by property developers as part of their development work), higher-than-expected development contributions, and a larger-than-expected dividend from Queenstown Airport Corporation.PHOTO: Wānaka App

The organisation which provides a vital very high frequency (VHF) communication network to the Upper Clutha has rebranded and is seeking new members.The Upper Clutha Radio Telephone Users Association, which has been providing radio communication services through VHF Channel 66 and Channel 4 for 50 years, is now called Roy’s Peak Radio Users.“This service ensures that boaters, lake users, and local commercial operators can stay connected, have peace of mind, and access help when needed most,” Roy’s Peak Radio Users chair Ian Brown said.The service is “an invaluable safety net for anyone exploring the lakes”, he said.The association has an updated website and it is asking people to support it by becoming a member.The association has a communications facility on Mt Roy above Wānaka which houses radio repeater units.The facility provides 24/7 radio telephone (RT) communications for commercial operators and private operators, including Search and Rescue and civil defence organisations and the Department of Conservation. Its Channel 66 covers 98 percent of Lake Wānaka and 96 percent of Lake Hāwea for the hundreds of marine users and it also provides internet to Makarora School.The facility was installed by volunteers in the 1970s and has been maintained by the charitable trust for decades. Roy’s Peak Radio Users is run by volunteers and funded through donations and memberships.People can become a member via the website or the group’s Facebook page.

Police say they are following positive lines of enquiry around the death of Invercargill woman Karen White.Karen was killed at her Lake Hāwea property on March 8, 2024.“We have confirmed the 60-year-old victim died as a result of injuries she sustained in a significant assault, and are speaking to a number of people who are assisting with enquiries,” Detective Senior Sergeant Regan Boucher said.“Police are actively working to establish the circumstances that led to Mrs White’s death.”Police were at the homicide scene in Lake Hāwea yesterday (December 11) with scientists from Environmental Science Research (ESR) to complete further examinations in relation to areas of interest.Regan said he cannot go into any more details about the examination or what was located.“Police believe people in the community hold important information about Mrs White's murder and we encourage those people to come forward,” Regan said.If you hold information that could help police with its enquiries you can provide details online or call 105 using the reference number 240308/6198.Information can also be provided anonymously via Crime Stoppers or call 0800 555 111.PHOTO: Supplied

A tender for the district’s “biggest council-led capex project ever” - construction of upgrades to the Wānaka and Hāwea wastewater schemes - is due to go live this month.The Upper Clutha Wastewater Conveyance Scheme (UCWWCS) will include major upgrades to the Hāwea wastewater scheme and the Wānaka wastewater network (Project Pure).A total budget of $80M has been locked in to Queenstown Lakes District Council’s (QLDC) Long Term Plan, with work expected to begin on the upgrades by mid-2025, and concluded by early 2028.Deputy mayor Quentin Smith said the upgrades represent “a major investment in infrastructure in the Upper Clutha largely to accommodate growth and to provide a replacement for the end of life and under capacity Hāwea treatment plant”.   “It collectively is the biggest council led capex [capital expenditure] project ever in our district - although it could be argued to be two or three combined,” he said.The upgrade is “the biggest council-led capex project ever in our district”, says deputy mayor Quentin Smith. PHOTO: Wānaka AppQuentin said the projected investment in water treatment plants, the north Wānaka wastewater conveyancing, Luggate water, and others “demonstrates the insatiable demand and costs of growth and compliance in the 3 waters space”.He noted that council also recently completed a third plant at Project Pure for $17-20M, which “continues to perform well in terms of operation and compliance”. The scope of the latest upgrades includes construction of a new wastewater pump station (WWPS) on Domain Road in Lake Hāwea, as well as construction of a 12.5km rising main in both formed and unformed legal roads from Domain Road to Albert Town No. 2 WWPS.The Riverbank Road WWPS will be upgraded, with construction of a 7.4km rising main in the road reserve and using easements from Riverbank Road WWPS to the Project Pure Wastewaster Treatment Plant (WWTP).The Albert Town bridge is a key piece of infrastructure in connecting Lake Hāwea to Project Pure. PHOTO: Wānaka AppProject Pure inlet works will be upgraded, and the Hāwea WWTP will be decommissioned and the pond converted to a wastewater ‘calamity basin’.Hāwea’s existing wastewater treatment plant was built in 1998 and upgraded in 2000; but it doesn’t meet current demand and has been in breach of compliance conditions for years. Since 2022 loads of waste have been trucked each week from Lake Hāwea’s Longview subdivision to Project Pure - with the cost met by Longview developer Universal Developments. The Albert Town bridge is a key piece of infrastructure in the process of connecting project Pure to Lake Hāwea, and QLDC has previously confirmed it has been engaging with NZTA Waka Kotahi throughout the development of the design of a new bridge - mooted for 2027-30.The council said a pipe will be attached to the bridge when it is eventually replaced.Read more: Two lane upgrade possible for Albert Town Bridge“We have been working closely with NZTA on plans for the UCWWCS and don’t expect any replacement to occur prior to the completion of the project,” a QLDC spokesperson said this week.

Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) has formally appealed the outcome of Otago Regional Council’s (ORC) representation review and a hearing will be held in January.In October ORC councillors voted to add an extra seat to the Dunstan ward (which covers Queenstown Lakes and Central Otago) and reduce the number of seats in the Dunedin ward by one.In a letter sent to ORC this month, QLDC said it was appealing the decision as the change in the allocation of seats did not go far enough.It “do[es] not provide effective representation of communities of interest”, the letter, signed by QLDC mayor Glyn Lewers and chief executive Mike Theelen said.“There is a clear and evident change in the size and distribution of the region’s population and the ORC decision demonstrates an unwillingness to proactively respond and adapt to the trajectory of change within ORC’s boundaries and populations,” they said.ORC staff had recommended an additional seat for Dunstan during the lengthy representation review process (which regional councils must undertake every six years) because of population growth in the ward.However, during the submissions process, QLDC said a fifth ward encompassing Queenstown, Frankton, Wānaka, and Cromwell, should be created instead to more equitably represent the growing area.Read more: Fifth constituency recommended to ORCGlyn had indicated after the vote in October that QLDC was considering an appeal.The letter from Glyn and Mike (dated December 2) said the seat allocation does not fully meet the requirements of the Local Electoral Act 2001 (LEA).ORC had “abrogated its responsibilities to its communities” by failing to make changes that will “provide stability across its constituencies”, they said.ORC told the Wānaka App QLDC’s letter had been forwarded to the Local Government Commission, which will hold a hearing in late January.PHOTO: ORC

Wānaka has hosted three festivals in the past fortnight, which have attracted visitors and “brought a vibrant atmosphere to town”, according to Wānaka Business Chamber general manager Glenn Peat.The Wānaka Fete was held at the A&P Showgrounds on Saturday November 30, followed by Wānaka Beerfest the next Saturday (December 7) and Wānaka Gather Market on Sunday (December 8).“From the feedback we've canvassed among our members so far, there have been mostly positive reports, especially from retailers and hospitality providers,” Glenn said.“They've noted increased foot traffic and sales, particularly over two nights, along with a boost in food sales, which has impacted the local economy.”Beerfest patrons Gina, Dan and Fliss. The inaugural Wānaka Fete was billed as a celebration of “artisanal producers, delectable cuisine, and first class shopping”.Co-organiser Abby France said she was “absolutely thrilled” by how the fete went.“We will definitely be back,” she said.The annual Wānaka Beerfest at the A&P Showgrounds attracted around 1,600 people and it featured 22 vendors. Organiser James Julian said his team was “delighted with the outcome”.Patrons at Wānaka’s Beerfest on Saturday December 7.“The event is run mostly by festival-loving volunteers where the aim is to boost local vendors, and business in Wānaka during the off-season,” he said. “The sun shone, and the atmosphere was jovial as it is most years.”The third Gather Market took place at the Venue on Cardrona Valley Road and organiser Emma Mowat told the Wānaka App the event attracted approximately 900 people.“We had 60 amazing vendors, from online businesses to side hustles, creatives and delicious food,” she said. “We're so proud to create a lovely space for them to sell their products.” Glenn said the festivals “not only enhance our community's profile as a destination but also contribute positively across various sectors, including retail and hospitality”.PHOTOS: Wānaka App

Mountain biking was a hot topic at a hearing on the draft Mt Iron Reserve Management Plan (RMP) held in Wānaka yesterday (Tuesday December 10).Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) is in the process of creating an RMP for the Mt Iron Reserve, which comprises around 100 hectares of land around Mount Iron and Little Mount Iron.Residents who spoke at the hearing were divided on the level of change they wanted to see at the local landmark, and mountain biking was the ‘line in the sand’ for some.Bike Wānaka president Ewan Mackie said the majority of people who had made submissions on the draft RMP were supportive of mountain biking on the reserve.He said bike trails would be “low impact, hand built [and] visually sympathetic”, and he didn’t see mountain bike trails as being “in conflict” with other priorities for the reserve.Keen mountain biker Ben Thomson was also in support, saying Wānaka was “significantly under-served by mountain biking options”.There was an opportunity for “technical trails” on Mt Iron which “we can’t really do anywhere else” and which would “make the most” of the reserve.Fellow mountain biker Meg Taylor, on the other hand, echoed other submitters who said the focus of the reserve should be on walking.“I can see people are quite divided over the extent bikers have access to the area,” Meg said. “I certainly think there is a need for biking opportunities for local use [but]...I don’t think that place is Mt Iron…I don’t believe the mix of steep bike tracks and walking trails is a good idea.”She was concerned tracks on Mt Iron might become like the Outlet Track, which is “not working” as a combined track.Upper Clutha Tracks Trust said Mt Iron has room for a range of users - but opposed shared pathways (for bikers and walkers) on the mountain. PHOTO: Wānaka AppA basin loop would be appropriate, but aside from that, QLDC should “press pause” on the idea, Meg said.Upper Clutha Tracks Trust (UCTT) representative John Wellington said the trust believed the reserve had enough room for a very large range of users - including, walkers, recreational cyclists, commuter cyclists, mountain bikers, climbers, paragliders and more.The trust had identified a range of locations where tracks could be established, upgraded or reinstated, some of them shared pathways (for bikers and walkers to use).However, when asked by the panel, he said “wouldn’t want to see any shared pathways on the mountain itself”.They would be more appropriate at the base of the reserve, he said.Other people who spoke at the hearing touched on a range of topics, from views that the draft RMP was inconsistent (it claimed to prioritise open space but also listed private functions and commercial activities, one submitter said) to calls for a full ecological assessment and designation as a scenic reserve, community-led native replanting, and provision for hangliding and paragliding, among others.Hidden Hills resident Andrew Bartholomew said he wanted to see less change, rather than more: “There are plenty of other places in Wānaka where those activities can take place”.Central Otago Forest & Bird representative Anne Steven also had a ‘less is more’ mentality.She said natural values “should have priority” over recreational activities and the reserve should be “acknowledged, respected and protected”.In-person submitters made up just a fraction of the 400 written submissions QLDC received on its draft RMP. Now the hearing has adjourned, the hearing panel - comprising councillors Lyal Cocks, Barry Bruce and Wānaka Upper Clutha Community Board (WUCCB) member Chris Hadfield - will deliberate.A final RMP will be presented to the WUCCB and full council for adoption early next year. It will provide a blueprint on how Mt Iron is used, managed and preserved into the future.

Wānaka Police have been called to two cases of verbal abuse this past week, and arrested a young woman for assault at an otherwise conflict-free festival.Verbal abuse, assaultA 27-year-old female was arrested and charged with assaulting police, wilful trespass, and resisting police at the Wānaka Beerfest in Pembroke Park on Saturday afternoon (December 7). “The event itself was very well-run and police were pleased with crowd behaviour,” Wānaka Police Senior Sergeant Fiona (Fi) Roberts said.Last Wednesday (December 4) police were called to Mitre 10 in response to a verbally aggressive and abusive male. A 64-year-old male was arrested for disorderly behaviour.In the hours of Wednesday, police were called to the Lake Hāwea Holiday Park to trespass a female who had been verbally abusive.Road policing: Expect more breath testingOn Saturday (December 7) a 22-year-old male driver was issued with an infringement offence notice for an excess breath alcohol (EBA) of 328, and charged with driving while disqualified.  Fi warned that drivers should expect to be subjected to a breath alcohol test if they are stopped by police.“The time of year places a major focus on road safety and especially Impairment,” she said. “You will see the Mobile Police Bus in Wānaka and it will be out and about conducting check points consistently.”More scams Fraud scams continue to be reported, Fi said.“One local resident received a telephone call from a person advising them that he was from the BNZ Fraud office and that their bank account had been compromised by someone in Sydney trying to use their bank account. The scammers have used the information from the phone call to obtain funds.”Fi encouraged people to learn more about scams and the tactics of scammers. “Take a look at any of the major banking websites where there is a range of helpful information on scams including, romance, impersonations, text, toll, cold call, tax and marketplace scams.“Scammers target people of any gender or age, and it doesn’t matter how much money you have. It’s important to stay up to date with the types of scams.”If you think you or someone you know has been the victim of an online scam, fraud, abuse and harassment or other criminal activity online you can report online or call 105. Providing as much information as possible (eg bank statements, emails, texts, social media accounts) helps in processing reports.Call 111 when you need an emergency response from police, fire or ambulance.Call 105 to report things that don’t need urgent police assistance.Call *555 to report road incidents that are urgent but not life-threatening.To make an anonymous crime report contact Crimestoppers.PHOTO: Wānaka App

Drug-checking service Know Your Stuff NZ will be back in Wānaka later this month, offering free, discreet and legal drug-testing.The first Wānaka clinic will take place this Saturday (December 14) and Know Your Stuff NZ will return on December 28 for a second local clinic.Backed by funding from Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC), the clinics allow people to find out whether their drugs have any unexpected ingredients in them before consumption."We want to spread the word that we're here to help," KYSNZ general manager Casey Spearin told the Wānaka App."Our service is really important for a number of reasons. Obviously, by checking we can identify whether there are dangerous things in circulation, which can quickly become a big problem at an event.”She said Know Your Stuff NZ had seen some “pretty shocking things” come through testing.“There were some samples in Wellington recently that were supposed to be MDMA but were actually mercury chloride, which is incredibly toxic.”In addition, last December just before New Year’s the organisation detected Alpha-D2PV, a dangerous synthetic drug, during a clinic.It’s not uncommon to find drugs are not what they’ve been sold as, Casey said."We find between 10-15 percent of what we test is not what it's supposed to be. It can be a huge range of things instead.“Sometimes it's baking powder and it's harmless and sometimes it's very harmful things, such as nitazenes, which are another class of synthetic opioid that's even more potent than fentanyl."In addition to the testing, the clinics provide an opportunity for visitors to discuss their drug use and behaviours."People tell us they won't talk to their family doctor about drug use but after we've run their sample through the spectrometer and explained the results, they can be more open to talk to us,” Casey said.Casey said Queenstown Lakes has some of the highest cocaine and party-drug use in the country.The district is a priority for Know Your Stuff NZ and it hopes to obtain more funding to become established in the region.Know Your Stuff NZ was formed in 2015 with an ethos of harm reduction - a set of practical strategies and ideas aimed at reducing the negative consequences associated with drug use.It is supported by health services, NGOs, and NZ Police, and protected by legislation, and “...in general the police are very supportive of what we do”, Casey said. The upcoming Wānaka Know Your Stuff NZ drug testing clinics will take place at the Wānaka Community Hub on Saturday (December 14) from midday-4pm and Saturday December 28, from 2pm-7pm.PHOTO: Supplied

Wānaka’s Katie Morgan banked a third-straight Kepler Challenge title in Te Anau on Saturday (December 7).The English-born New Zealand mountain running representative comfortably won the 60km lap around the Kepler Track in five hours and 48 minutes, quarter of an hour ahead of Frances Redmond, and 21 minutes ahead of international trail runner and former long-distance triathlete Beth McKenzie, from Australia.“It feels amazing, I honestly didn’t expect to win today,” Katie said.“When I saw that Beth McKenzie was in, I didn’t think I’d be able to stay ahead of her on the flats, so I’m super chuffed. I knew that there wouldn’t be much in it and so I went out a bit harder than I normally would and I was just waiting for her at any moment to catch me on the flats.”Katie, who has also won an ultra event in Canada this year, never felt as comfortable as her winning margin suggested.“It’s not often you can look behind you and the one time I did, I fell over, so I tried not to do that too much,” she said.Alexandra’s Daniel Balchin also recovered from a spill before eventually winning the men’s race in five hours and three minutes.Alexandra’s Daniel Balchin wins the men's Kepler Challenge in 5:3:45.The Alexandra-based project manager, who finished second in the Auckland marathon five weeks ago, fell heavily on the technical descent from Hanging Valley into Iris Burn and saw his lead over Wellington’s Thomas Barnes evaporate.“I managed to get a gap on the flat on the way home,” Daniel said.“I was stoked to get the win, it means a lot. It’s an awesome one to tick off because it’s a prestigious race on the trail scene.”Thomas finished 12min down on the winner, with Benje Patterson (Queenstown) finishing third.The capacity Kepler Challenge field of 450 runners, which sold out in two minutes when entries opened in July, enjoyed cool morning conditions which gave way to warm and windy weather in the afternoon.Results60km Kepler Challenge womenKatie Morgan 5:48:43, 1; Frances Redmond 6:04:04, 2; Beth McKenzie 6:09:44, 360km Kepler Challenge menDaniel Balchin 5:03:45, 1; Thomas Barnes 5:16:13, 2; Benje Patterson 5:23:12, 327km Luxmore Grunt womenPenny Mouat 2:30:33, 1; Miriam Clark 2:30:44, 2; Stephanie Wilson 2:33:54, 327km Luxmore Grunt menJonathan Jackson 1:55:15, 1; Liam Dooley 1:57:15, 2; Timothy Jorgensen 2:05:09, 3Full ResultsPHOTO: Supplied

A campaign where people can swap their old and unsafe life jackets for new ones at a discounted rate will visit Wānaka this Saturday (December 14).Coastguard’s Old4New Lifejacket Upgrade campaign is stopping in at Wānaka as part of its 74-stop tour to help get more people into safe life jackets.Coastguard head of operations Rob McCaw said it was very important for people to use right life jackets for the occasion and person.“Too often we see children in adult life jackets or life jackets that are long past their best,” Coastguard head of operations Rob McCaw said. “It’s not going to help them stay alive if they fall into the water unexpectedly.”At next Saturday’s event - which will take place at the Coastguard Rescue Centre at Eely Point - there will be a range of discounted lifejackets suitable for boating, watersports, kayaking and sailing available in sizes ranging from infants to adults.The Old4New team will also provide life jacket advice, including fitting and servicing, along with local boating safety tips and information about education courses.Old4New is one of the Coastguard's leading water safety initiatives and around the country 30,000 life jackets have been replaced since the programme’s inception. It visits Wānaka or Hāwea most summers and previous Old4New visits to Wānaka have seen up to 300 life jackets replaced.Last year Coastguard senior communications advisor Ben Parsons told the Wānaka App there was a real gap in Kiwi’s understanding of how to maintain the safety of a life jacket and what constitutes a fit-for-purpose life jacket.  A jacket should be replaced if it is more than ten years old, but there are also other steps Kiwis should be taking to check if their life jacket is still fit-for-purpose, Ben said.Do the following: Pull the straps, hard, and any of them stretch or tear, do not use the life jacket, and replace; look for tears, mould and sun damage in the fabric, and if there are any, do not use the life jacket.Inflatable life jackets need to be serviced every year. To check it is functioning correctly, blow the mouthpiece to blow it up and leave it overnight. If it deflates overnight, get a new one.Anyone who is unsure if their life jacket is still up to standard can also get it checked at the Wānaka Old4New session.Coastguard’s Old4New Wānaka visit will take place at the Coastguard Rescue Centre at Eely Point between 8am and 3pm on Saturday.PHOTO: Wānaka App 

Former Te Kura o Tititea Mount Aspiring College (MAC) student Ryan Young continues to excel in horizontal jumps, setting notable personal bests (PBs).Ryan, a member of the Aspiring Athletes Club, was MAC’s alumni award recipient last year, coming from a modest base in 2017 to becoming NZ’s Men’s U20 Triple Jump (TJ) champion in 2023. Aspiring Athletes coach Michael Beable said this was a “tremendous achievement, and testimony to [Ryan’s] self-belief, discipline and perseverance”.In the recent Men’s Open Long Jump competition in Auckland (November 30), Ryan set a PB and Aspiring Athletes record, with 6.90m. His jump was 45cm ahead of second place and was achieved off a shortened run-up (as he eases his body into the competitive jumping environment after a winter buildup).In the Men’s Open Triple Jump (TJ) event, he registered an impressive distance of 14.32m.This was a substantial PB (by 38cm) which gave him a close second place, just 15cm behind Scott Thompson, who has won national titles in the event. Ryan was again coming off a shortened runup, for his first TJ of the season. Off his faster, full-length runup, he can expect to go quite a bit further; perhaps by another 0.5m or more, Michael said.The triple jump, otherwise known as the Hop, Step and Jump, places enormous strain on the body, Michael explained.“For example, when landing from the Hop phase and transferring into the Step phase, adult males can experience forces on their body of up to 15-22 times their body weight - a very significant G-force.“Hence, one uses a shortened runup approach in the first couple of TJ competitions to allow the body to adapt to the high G-forces involved.”Ryan has completed his third year in civil engineering at the University of Canterbury and is currently undertaking engineering work experience in Auckland over the summer holidays.He will now recover from his two weeks’ of jumping competitions and build up for his next (likely to be the Lovelock Classic in Timaru on January 11, 2025).Michael said Ryan will be in Wānaka for much of this time, using the local sprinting and jumping areas at the 3P track, as he strives to win a medal at the national championships in Dunedin early in March. There will be considerable interest in this event, which will be hotly contested, Michael said. It will include the South-African based Olivier brothers, Ethan (current world junior TJ champion and NZ record holder, with a world class 17.01m) and Welre, who has a legal best of 16.59m).PHOTOS: Supplied

There has been plenty written about first home buyers in recent years but what happens when that first home is secured and how do you plan for the future?Often we are working with vendors looking to move up the property ladder, to find a home that meets their expanding family needs. We are also seeing a move to downsize, especially by people in their later years.Downsizing has the benefit of freeing up capital, plus a smaller property meaning less maintenance.A great tool for moving along the property ladder is the ‘subject to sale’ condition that is available in real estate sale contracts.Utilising the ‘subject to sale’ can be a really smart way to purchase your next property and it takes out a lot of risk involved in the transaction because you're putting a safety net under your offer.In recent times this has been an ideal tool, with less demand Vendors have been open to ‘subject to sale’ offers. However time is running out as momentum returns to the market, and that means a more competitive purchasing environment is on the horizon.If you’ve been thinking about moving homes, now is the time. The easiest way to explore that opportunity is to go out with the mindset that you are shopping ‘subject to sale’.There has been a definite and positive move in the market and more sales are occurring. I think there will be significant volume turnover when the November sales figures are released around the middle of December.It’s not only the new stock that's moving, it's also some aged stock that has been sitting for some time.The other interesting thing we're noticing is movement in land transactions. For a long time there's been a limited number of section sales, with the majority under $800k. But recently I had three contracts over $1.3M on land in the Wānaka area.The reduction in the Official Cash Rate (OCR) in late November means financing a build has become more affordable and people want to lock in plans now before market forces drive up demand and prices once again.Ray White Wānaka is situated at Sir Tim Wallis Drive Wānaka.Find out more here.

It may be as far away as early February before a decision is issued on McDonald’s proposal for a restaurant and drive-through on the outskirts of Wānaka, Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) says.The controversial proposal has attracted significant attention - locally and nationally - since plans for a 24-hour-a-day, seven-day-a-week McDonald’s restaurant were made public last year.While the three-day hearing on the controversial proposal wrapped up on November 27, the McDonald’s team won’t provide its right-of-reply until December 19.Wānaka’s Pierre Marasti speaking during the second day of the McDonald’s hearing, which took place in November. PHOTO: Wānaka AppFrom there, the commissioners will have 15 working days to make a decision, but a Resource Management Act (RMA) shutdown period from December 20-January 10 pushes the decision well into the New Year.“Council is anticipating a decision at this stage mid to late January or early February,” a QLDC spokesperson told the Wānaka App.The proposed McDonald’s site, at 237 Wānaka-Luggate Highway. PHOTO: Wānaka AppQLDC submitted its resource consent application for a 445m2 restaurant at 237 Wānaka-Luggate Highway (within the Mt Iron Junction subdivision and just off the SH6/SH84) last November.In documents submitted to the Overseas Investment Office for the purchase of land, McDonald’s indicated it hoped to be operational by early 2026.Locals shared their views on the proposal in novel ways ahead of the hearing. PHOTO: SuppliedAnyone who wants to watch the McDonald’s team’s right-of-reply being presented on December 19 (11am-2pm), can do so at QLDC’s council chambers in Queenstown or via live-stream at the QLDC Facebook page.Read more: Protectiveness for town expressed as McDonald’s hearing concludes

Local groups and individuals will share their aspirations for the future of the Mt Iron Recreation Reserve at a hearing which begins tomorrow (Tuesday December 10). Around 100 hectares of land around Mount Iron and Little Mount Iron are now in public ownership and Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) is in the process of finalising a Reserve Management Plan (RMP) to determine how the land is used, managed and preserved. QLDC received more than 400 submissions on its draft RMP and submitters will get the chance to share their views, opinions and goals with the hearing panel in-person.Public submissions show a range of - sometimes competing - hopes for future use of the reserve, from a desire for more mountain biking tracks, walking tracks and rock climbing routes, to calls to prioritise ‘natural use’ over recreation.Bike Wānaka said there is a strong desire by the mountain biking community to “reinvigorate” mountain biking on Mt Iron now that it is in public ownership.Mountain biking has occurred on Mount Iron for many decades and there is a network of existing mountain bike trails, Bike Wānaka said, and the organisation would like to “refresh” the existing trail network, construct a new “up track” and potentially add new downhill trails in the future.Club president Ewan Mackie said there had been 250 submissions in support of mountain biking and more than 80 submitters “explicitly asked us to speak on their behalf at [the]... Reserve Management Plan hearing so we feel a sense of responsibility to make their voices heard”.Local non-profit Upper Clutha Tracks Trust (UCTT) said in its submission it believed the newly enlarged reserve has enough room for many different types of users, including, walkers, recreational cyclists, commuter cyclists, mountain bikers, climbers, paragliders and other recreational and passive uses.UCTT has recommended a range of upgrades and new tracks, including one (in red) which would create a more direct link from the Old Racecourse Road entrance to the track from Mt Iron Summit to the Hidden Hills entrance. IMAGE: SuppliedIt has identified a range of locations where walking tracks could be established, upgraded or reinstated, as well as opportunities for active travel links across various parts of the reserve.Wānaka Climbing Club (WCC) was another submitter keen for more sites for its group’s users.It asked QLDC “to enable rock climbing on existing and potential new crags within the reserve”, noting that there are more than 70 climbing routes on at least eight different climbing crags in the reserve.It was an ideal climbing spot, with a range of intermediate and advanced routes, many of which were sheltered from severe weather, while “the closest alternative climbing is 20km west at Hospital Flat, further to go for after-work climbing and in an area with much higher precipitation”, WCC said.Meanwhile, Forest & Bird Central Otago asked QLDC to have the reserve designated as a Scenic Reserve, which would “still allow for public access and recreational use, but only where the natural values are not compromised”.QLDC should “preserve, celebrate and promote Mt Iron Reserve as habitat for thriving populations of the threatened and at risk species and habitat for other flora and fauna species,” the organisation said.A hearing on the Mt Iron RMP will begin tomorrow. PHOTO: TipTinsThe “core value” for the reserve should be to “allow people to enjoy and interact with nature, mostly on nature’s terms and in a way that does not negatively impact on nature and the special values it confers to reserve users and visitors,” Forest & Bird said.The hearing panel will hear from these groups and others at tomorrow’s hearing, which begins at 10am at the Lake Wānaka Centre’s Armstrong Room.Once the hearing has concluded, the panel will create the final Mt Iron Reserve RMP and present it to the Wānaka Upper Clutha Community Board (WUCCB) and full council for adoption in early 2025.

Plans for a five-level private hospital and ‘healthcare precinct’ at Wānaka’s Three Parks have been outlined in a resource consent application lodged with Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) last week.The plans by Wānaka-based investment company Roa - and designed by architects Warren and Mahoney - centre on a 6,300m2 private surgical hospital, on the corner of Sir Tim Wallis Drive and Deering Street.The additional ‘health precinct’ will include four new buildings for a mix of allied medical services such as consulting, procedural and treatment rooms, with hospitality and retail offerings at ground level, application documents said.A 19.5 metre tall commercial building has also been approved for the opposite corner of Sir Tim Wallis Drive and Deering Street. Roa says its four-storey mixed use commercial building, Aspiring House, will offer street level retail and upper-level office space. ‘Meeting local health needs’The current application claims the proposal will “provide significant regional benefits, by helping to meet the current and future health needs of the Upper Clutha and Queenstown Lakes' rapidly growing population”.It says the proposal has the potential to increase private sector competition and innovation; reduce the number of people travelling to Dunedin, Invercargill, or Christchurch for healthcare; and benefit the region’s economy by supporting population growth and creating employment.The hospital (left) includes a helipad.The hospital would “provide surgical services for the wider region, and the allied health buildings have the potential to provide a wide range of health services”, from optometry to acupuncture, and health coaching to medical research.But what of the provision of publicly-funded health services, which Roa CEO Mike Saegers told the Wānaka App was “an absolute priority” when the project was first revealed in May this year?The application says it does not include public health services, although the hospital could be expanded in the future, something which “could enable an integration of future public health services”.It goes on to say that Roa “is open to public health services being provided as part of the proposed health precinct”, adding, however, that “any decisions about this are for Health New Zealand/Te Whatu Ora”.Private vs publicly funded careIn May, Mike told the Wānaka App that Roa was “looking at all options” and engaging with the public health sector about ways to provide publicly funded health care. “Ultimately, we’re building what’s within our control, which is a five-level hospital, four operating theatres, 70 plus beds and a 24 hour emergency department,” he said.Health services were top of mind for local elected representatives at the time, following a packed public meeting on the topic facilitated by the Wānaka Upper Clutha Community Board.When Roa’s hospital plans were first announced, key stakeholders said they would continue to advocate for publicly-funded health services.Health Action Wānaka (HAW) spokesperson Monique Mayze said the community needs to “continue advocating hard to ensure the provision of, and access to, actual healthcare services is equitable and benefits everyone”. The proposed view from Deering Street through the pedestrian street.QLDC deputy mayor Quentin Smith said he would “keep advocating for public services to come alongside” the planned health precinct, and mayor Glyn Lewers said he was disappointed that Health NZ/Te Whatu Ora had not provided a “roadmap” to meet the entire population’s health needs.“Providing access to effective services for everyone in our community is paramount,” he said. Read more: A ‘void’ in health care planning as private plans proliferateA Te Whatu Ora spokesperson told the Wānaka App earlier this year that, while it is committed to working with community leaders and others to design and deliver services that meet the community’s health needs, “this needs to be balanced across other planning processes within Health NZ”. “Planning for the Otago/Southland area is part of our national, whole-of-system approach to delivering healthcare services,” she said.She noted that the private Southern Cross Central Lakes Hospital in Queenstown has undertaken publicly-funded surgeries for some orthopaedic, ophthalmology, plastics, urology, and general surgery patients.“Health New Zealand Southern currently outsources some planned care surgical procedures to the private healthcare sector, as we work hard to reduce surgery wait times.” Next stepsRoa’s hospital project missed out on the government’s Fast Track Bill in October, but Mike told the Wānaka App he remained focused on delivering the “straightforward” consent application. The now-submitted proposal requires a non-complying activity land use consent under the Proposed District Plan. Roa has volunteered that it be publicly notified.The plans are being considered by QLDC. IMAGES: SuppliedRead more: Roa plans $300M private hospital in Wānaka