"Build more houses" is Minister for the South Island James Meager’s solution to Queenstown’s housing issues.
Mr Meager, who began his ministerial role last month, told the Otago Daily Times that housing was a "very complicated" problem in Queenstown, and he suggested the solution comes down to building more houses.
"My view and the government’s view is that where there is pressure on rents, pressure on housing shortages and social housing waiting lists, the best thing to do is to build more houses.
"If you had three times the number of Airbnb’s in town, the price of those Airbnb’s would drop so much that people would stop making enough to cover the cost of running them and then they might actually sell the property or rent them out on a long-term lease — so I think, ultimately, supply fixes most of those problems."
Mr Meager acknowledged the strain this had on councils, saying "the government has to provide incentives for councils to build more, as councils bear a lot of the infrastructure costs".
"With the increase in the international visitor levy last year, there is more money available in the pot, half of which is geared towards tourism infrastructure which can provide some support.
"But there are general budget bids for government support. Queenstown might be able to put up a special case of needing to have some sort of infrastructure package put towards it."
In his new role as Minister of the South Island, Mr Meager hoped to be a middleman between local and central government.
"I can play an advocacy role of saying, hey, I think this has been an issue for quite a while.
"For example, the housing minister is fighting housing fires all across the country — he knows that there are demands and needs in Queenstown. I’m able to advocate for Queenstown to him, and be his eyes and ears on the ground.
"Having worked in Parliament before, everyone is aware of the issues down here, and everyone is aware of the need, but sometimes things don’t get prioritised, so I’ll be able draw a bit more focus and bit more attention."
