That’s because prominent environmentalist, Alexa Forbes — the Whakatipu’s first ORC councillor in 31 years — has revealed she’s standing down at October’s local body elections after six "rollercoaster" years on the Dunedin-based body.
Which in turn followed six busy years as a Queenstown Lakes District councillor.
Forbes, 65, says she’s quitting as "I’m just tired, really" — partly because she also works part-time.
"I’m thinking I’ll just take a three-year break and [maybe] try and come back in three years’ time, if anyone lets me."
Meantime, she’s hoping one or even two locals stand instead, given the Dunstan constituency is going from three to four councillors.
"One of the things I’ve been able to achieve is to get Queenstown in the minds of people in Dunedin. "
Though she says the staff and the council are "highly receptive" to understanding Queenstown problems, she believes having Queenstown representation is "super-important".
"And, when you think of it, Wānaka and Queenstown, this is the headwaters of the entire [Otago] — everything that happens here impacts everybody down the line."
And, speaking of impacts, Forbes is highly concerned Queenstown’s infrastructure’s not keeping up with surging population growth.
"We’re seeing the really harsh impacts of that now on our environment, and nobody wants to pay for the restoration of that.
"Both [lakes] Wanaka and Whakatipu have slipped from ‘excellent’ water quality to ‘high’ water quality.
"That’s the start of a degeneration that is already very expensive to fix, and letting it fall any further, all we’re doing is stealing from future generations."
ORC also last month applied for an enforcement order against the local council over the operation of Queenstown’s wastewater treatment plant, which is suspected of discharging contaminated water into the Shotover and Kawarau rivers.
Forbes has told the Otago Daily Times: "Queenstown has a lot of development on its books, and there’s a question whether it can sustain the extra connections."
She says she can’t comment now due to the issue going to the Environment Court.
"The only comment I’d make is how can you keep adding to the problem?
"You’ve got to solve it."
Forbes has been active on ORC transport committees, and believes there’s been "great progress" with the local bus service her council funds — though she warns the $2 fare will probably rise this year, but to hopefully no higher than $3.
However, she says "it’s not been adequately matched with the active transport network".
A classic example she cites is kids living in Quail Rise crossing the 80kmh state highway to the bus stop by Bunnings Warehouse.
"I don’t think we’re going to see that [planned] bridge anytime soon, or underpass, and traffic lights are pretty hard to put in an 80kmh zone."
Forbes is also upset the government won’t provide the bus priority lanes spoken for in the original roading upgrade masterplan.
She’s concerned, too, there are no replacement plans for Queenstown’s at-capacity bridges — Shotover, Kawarau and Edith Cavell.
"Shotover looks fairly blocked, but wait until you get a bit more [housing] down the southern end and the Kawarau is going to be a real problem."
Forbes admits she’s been a minority voice around the ORC table quite often.
"So that’s where you require someone that’s reasonably solid in their own values and can articulate those values.
"People accuse me of being in an ideological space, but I don’t feel I am at all, I just feel I prioritise the environment and the community.
"One of the key things is to be able to critically analyse things and be willing for your own view to be challenged.
"Over the next three to six years, going forward is going to be really, really hard.
"I’m not trying to give anybody a hospital pass, but I just think my own energies are better directed somewhere else."
She’ll still work in the environmental space, she adds — she has a halftime job teaching sustainable practice degree programmes at Otago Polytech.
"I’ve really appreciated my time on council, because I’ve learnt so much, and I’d be very keen to help or support anyone who wants to have a go."
However, after 12 years as an elected councillor, Forbes considers the system of local government is broken — councils can make long-term plans, she says, but without the powers or levers to implement them, they’re at the mercy of central government whims.
‘Tourism shouldn’t be a numbers game’
Alexa Forbes is taking a major swipe at the government’s "bums-on-seats" approach to tourism in pursuit of its new ‘growth’ mantra, fearing it’ll come at a cost to the local community and the environment.
Minister for Economic Growth Nicola Willis recently told RNZ: "I want all tourists ... Our job is to make it easy for them to come in the door, easy for them to come to New Zealand ... then when they get here I’ve great faith in our tourism providers that they’ll do everything they can to get as many dollars out of those back pockets as possible."
Forbes responds: "She wants bums on seats without any consideration for the huge planning Queenstown and Wanaka have done, no thought for their destination management plan, nor for the delicate social licence that is afforded the industry, and how easy that could be disrupted."
Worse, she maintains tourism’s a low-value, low-productivity sector with high costs to communities — "think infrastructure" — and the environment.
"It has huge downsides the upper lakes region is already struggling to cope with.
"It’s notoriously difficult to lift productivity in this industry, and yet we know lifting productivity is key to NZ’s future economic performance.
"So this is just a cheap and nasty way to try and get some cash for a flagging economy, transferring costs to the community and the environment. When government’s got this attitude, we’re in real trouble."
Forbes suggests the millions of dollars that’ll likely go into tourism marketing would be better channelled into environmental restoration, since NZ’s environment is its selling point.
