Short-stay proposal irks property manager

The local council’s plans to tighten short-stay accommodation rules are a kneejerk reaction to bigger housing problems, says a Queenstown woman who manages nine holiday homes in the area.

Julie Jolly, who has worked in the tourism industry for more than 10 years, was irritated by the Queenstown Lakes District Council’s proposal to restrict short-term letting of homes in many areas of Queenstown  to 28 days a year. The current limit is 90.

If passed, the new rules would not affect anyone  now  registered with the council for visitor accommodation and would not be implemented until after  full public consultation  by an independent commissioner.

However, Ms Jolly said the council’s approach was wrong and ill-considered.

"One thing that infuriates me is that Airbnb and other providers like Bookabach have been seen as the enemy of Queenstown, when actually Queenstowners and the local economy should be giving a message of thanks to those who have opened up their homes."

Without them,  Queenstown simply would not get as many visitors, she said.

Before the introduction of online booking sites like Airbnb, the nine places she managed were used only by the owners, their friends and family members for holidays.

While the new rules, if adopted, would not affect them, she was worried the resort would suffer if fewer houses were available, because many visitors would not want to stay in a hotel.

"It  ... is almost like a cult following. Visitors enjoy their experience because they want to  ...  live like a local."

The fundamental issue in Queenstown was a lack of  infrastructure and genuine affordable housing, not short-term accommodation, she said.

John MacDonald

Local councillor John MacDonald, who also chairs Queenstown’s mayoral housing task force, said he was aware not everyone was thrilled with the proposals, but  they were part of a bigger picture.

The council was fully aware of the benefits of short-term accommodation providers.

"It is a valuable part of our visitor mix. And if we talk about the reality of growth we have had in the last couple of years, without this growing pool of beds available then we wouldn’t have been able to cope. We don’t want to cut that off.

"We have not gone down the line of, shut the door, lock the gate and throw away the key. But we equally have to balance the community interest."

The council needed to protect areas in Queenstown for those working in the district.

He wanted housing in areas such as  Shotover Country  to be available for long-term residential lease.It was only one part of Queenstown’s complex housing issue.

Jim Boult

Queenstown Lakes Mayor Jim Boult said the proposals were necessary and the council believed they reflected the desires of a significant portion of the Queenstown community "who don’t want to see their neighbourhood becoming a commercial accommodation operation".

Rachael Shadbolt, from Hospitality NZ, the lobby group representing the hospitality industry, congratulated the QLDC on taking action on peer-to-peer accommodation before the infrastructure and worker accommodation situation in Queenstown got any more acute.

"If these restrictions go some way to freeing up houses for the long-term rental market it will take serious pressures off businesses in the region."

Airbnb’s head of public policy Australia New Zealand, Brent Thomas, said the company believed the proposals were neither fair nor necessary and would not ease  housing unaffordability.

The company would talk with its customers and then work constructively with the council to find a "better, fairer set of rules for home sharing", he said.