QLCA: Closing This Chapter

We did what we promised - now it’s time to give the new council space to deliver

When we started Queenstown Lakes Community Action (QLCA), we made a simple promise: we would ask the questions that weren’t being answered, investigate what happened with the Shotover wastewater treatment plant, and bring the information back to the community clearly and calmly.

That work is now largely done.

Over the past year, QLCA has:

• tracked what happened with the Shotover wastewater treatment plant, and when

• sought clarity and accountability

• pushed for transparency and better communication

• supported community members who felt ignored or misled

• prepared formal submissions and evidence

• and stayed focused on the issue, even when it was uncomfortable

We’re now about to release our final major piece of work–a podcast that explains the full story, start to finish, as promised. We will also be appearing in the Environment Court to present our case in relation to the discharge of treated wastewater into the Shotover River.

At this point, we feel confident we’ve delivered on what we formed to do.

Just as importantly: the recent election has brought in a council where transparency, democratic accountability, and better communication were not side issues–they were central commitments many candidates ran on, and were elected for.

Now those commitments need time to be carried through.

Real change in local government doesn’t happen instantly. Fixing complex infrastructure issues, rebuilding public trust, and improving governance and communication takes time, and it requires steady, consistent follow-through.

For that reason, we believe the right next step is to step back and give our newly elected members the space–and the opportunity–to carry out the mandate the community has given them.

So after we meet our final commitments with the podcast and our Environment Court appearance, we’ll be beginning the process of formally retiring Queenstown Lakes Community Action.

This isn’t giving up. It’s completing the job we set out to do, and stepping back because accountability should be normal–not something that requires a permanent volunteer watchdog group to exist.

And to be clear: we’re not disappearing, and we’re not done caring. We’ll continue to watch with interest and hope–not only on wastewater, but on the wider decisions shaping the future of our district. That includes how we manage exponential growth, how responsibilities are shifted or externalized (including through proposals like a council-controlled water entity), and the very real pressures on health services, transport, and infrastructure. We also have ongoing concerns about the fast-track processes and the way major decisions can be accelerated with limited transparency and public input. These issues matter, and we’ll still be paying attention.

But right now, this is the moment to give the newly elected council the time and space to lead, communicate openly, and work through the problems in front of them. If the community ever wants us to step forward again in the future, we will.

Thank you to everyone who supported, questioned, shared information, encouraged us, disagreed respectfully, and stayed engaged.

We also want to acknowledge and thank the councillors (past and present) who engaged with us in good faith and were willing to consider different perspectives, and the council staff who have tirelessly answered our questions and kept doing their jobs through what has clearly been an intense and challenging 12 months.

And to the many people who formed QLCA over time–those who helped behind the scenes, contributed skills and expertise, attended meetings, reviewed documents, asked hard questions, shared local knowledge, and gave their time to support our goals–thank you. This has always been a collective effort, and it wouldn’t have been possible without you.

We also want to acknowledge the many individuals and organizations across the wider community who engaged with this work along the way–including people working in aviation, environmental regulation, technical reporting, engineering, and independent science–who answered questions, shared context, and helped ensure the public record was clearer and more complete. You know who you are–thank you.

Our final updates will be shared soon. After that, we’ll be closing this chapter–proud of what’s been achieved, and hopeful that transparency and accountability become standard practice in our district, and not a community side project.

One last thing we want to say clearly: your voice matters. One email, one well-placed question, one request for information, one submission, one person showing up and staying engaged–it all makes a difference. Local democracy only works when people participate, and one steady voice can shift the entire direction of a conversation. Please don’t underestimate the power of simply staying informed, speaking up, and expecting better.