Queenstown holiday park tenants face homelessness to make way for development

Wednesday, 24 April 2019

About 300 people living at a Queenstown holiday park face homelessness in six months when their cabins are removed to make way for a new housing development.

Maria Aparecida Da Silva 'home' – a tiny cabin at Lakeview Holiday Park – is sandwiched between a row of similar cabins that will be removed to make way for a new development offering homes for more than 1500 people.

The 51-year-old Brazilian is one of about 300 residents living permanently at the site, which is owned by the Queenstown Lakes District Council, who have been told they will have to find new accommodation by late October, unless they qualify for a needs-based exemption.

'I've lived at the holiday park for nine years and been in Queenstown for 11 years. I am very, very worried. I don't know where I am going to live. Finding a house in Queenstown is very difficult,' she said.

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Like many living at the park, Da Silva works in hospitality. She is a breakfast chef for a high-end hotel. 

An elderly couple from the Philippines, who live across the pavement in another cluster of cabins, also work at local hotels. 

Teadono Sta Ana and Rizalina de Jesus have been living at the park for five years and are making tentative plans to relocate to Auckland where they have family. 

'Houses are very expensive and this is so close to our jobs. This is [a] nice place. It is quiet and there are families walking around. We are very sad but we have no choice. Many people here are worried,' de Jesus said.

Vincent Campado, 32, of the Philippines, said he feared he would be forced to live in his car.

'I have been looking but it's really, really expensive. There are a lot of people here who work in hospitality, drive taxis. It's so close to town, it is really good for us, especially me as I work at night.'

The imminent ski season and the influx of associated workers would add to the challenge of finding alternative accommodation, he said. 

Queenstown Chamber of Commerce chief executive Anna Mickell said most of the park's tenants were permanent residents and worked in the community.

'The chamber is aware that finding housing at a similar price point may be difficult for this group of residents. As labour supply continues to be very tight, we want to make sure that we keep as many of these residents living and working locally.'

The Queenstown Lakes District Council has proposed a workshop in July to help those affected find new accommodation, she said.

Earlier this month, the council announced it had appointed a preferred bidder for the public-private lakeview development, which would be led by Melbourne-based developer Ninety-Four Feet, Auckland-based investment company Augusta Capital and the Britomart Hospitality Group.

'[The consortium's design] delivers a broad mix of residential options, responding to growth in the town, and inclusive of worker and co-located living,' council chief executive Mike Theelan said.

The development, which would be built in stages, would include range of commercial and community facilities, and high-density residential housing. Other elements include a hot pools attraction delivered by Ngāi Tahu Tourism and a new hotel developed by Well Smart Limited.

Council staff had been exploring a range of support options for the park's existing tenants, including whether some could stay in the short to medium term.

Theelan said the decision to close the park was 'a tough one', but the new development would provide homes for five times as many people, 'across a broad affordability spectrum'.

'The end result will offer significantly more for the community than it does today.'