Established by Queenstown Lakes Mayor Jim Boult four months ago, the 20-strong group is meeting every fortnight to study ways of helping low- and middle-income households on to the property ladder.
The group had already come up with "two good ideas", one of which could be active by the end of the year, Mr Boult said.
That idea, which was being discussed with an unnamed third party, was a non-bank lending scheme, in which contributing investors enabled a household to buy a property with a lower deposit, and shared in any increase in market values after a set period of time.
The other involved land held in trust being leased to homeowners for a nominal rent. The dwelling on the land would be bought and sold into a controlled market where the increase in value would be limited.
Although possibly a first in New Zealand, the concept had been successfully applied overseas, including in the Canadian resort town of Whistler.
Mr Boult said the cost of housing in the district remained his greatest concern, and the ideas being considered were ‘‘practical, realistic solutions’’ that would not impose any cost on ratepayers.
"I’m quietly confident both of these ideas have a good chance of coming off."
Quotable Value data released this week show average residential property values in the resort rose 4.9% in the past three months to $1.09million — $44,500 higher than those in wider Auckland.
In May, the median house price in the Queenstown Lakes district was more than 12 times the median annual household income. The next-highest "median multiple" was 10.6, in Auckland’s North Shore. The national average is 6.2.
Councillor and task force chairman John MacDonald said a variety of mechanisms would be needed to match people’s particular circumstances.
Renting needed to remain a viable option, and the task force had identified a need to work with the Government on identifying areas in the district that should be eligible for rental subsidies and assistance. It was also looking at incentives for making more land available for residential development, he said.
The task force consists of the mayor and two councillors, some council staff and high profile people from inside and outside the district with expertise in finance, law, construction, architecture, real estate, community housing and tourism.
