Queenstown Smart Growth Initiative

18/12/2025

There is no public transport to Ridgeburn, and both ORC and QLDC have confirmed that no future services are planned.

Thousands of residents will rely almost entirely on private vehicles, adding further pressure to SH6, which is already operating at capacity.

Any future bus service would require ongoing operational funding, meaning councils and ratepayers would ultimately foot the bill.

16/12/2025

Ridgeburn's application includes developing land zoned, Outstanding Natural Landscape (ONL). This is land that is identified to safeguard the region’s outstanding natural landscapes.

The Council has raised concerns about Ridgeburn's plans to develop on ONL and with growth already provided for in the Queenstown Lakes Spatial Plan until 2050. Why is there an urgent need to develop on land that is currently not intended for growth and is part of the region's valuable natural landscapes.

13/12/2025

As NZTA states: “The subject site is not identified in the current or future planned or funded public transport service network. While the applicant intends to provide active travel connections, the site is so far removed from the main existing employment and service centres (Frankton, Queenstown and Arrowtown) that active travel uptake will likely be minimal. Consequently, NZTA anticipates the residents of this development will be heavily reliant on private vehicles for transportation beyond the development footprint, which will likely have significant downstream effects on the state highway network, SH6 in particular.”

NZTA and QLDC have both raised the same red flag: unavoidable vehicle reliance from Ridgeburn will place further pressure on SH6, already under strain.

12/12/2025

With two Queenstown fast-track proposals awaiting decisions from their expert panels and Rideburn’s application soon to be decided by a seperate panel, John Glover's comments couldn't be more on point.

10/12/2025

Every year, tens of thousands (if not hundreds of thousands) of cyclists, ride hawthorn-lined Arrow Junction Road. With only around 270 vehicles a day, cyclists, pedestrians, and cars can all use the road peacefully.

Tourism is Queenstown’s biggest economic driver. Quiet, scenic cycling experiences like Arrow Junction Road are a key part of what draws visitors here.

But if Ridgeburn goes ahead, thousands of cars will flood Arrow Junction Road daily.

Access for cyclists wasn’t flagged as a concern in the Ridgeburn referral by Gibbons Co or by parties invited to comment, yet the impact could be huge.

09/12/2025

QLDC’s Spatial Plan already provides more than enough development capacity to meet the projected population growth through to 2050 and beyond - as shown in the graph below.

Developing at 122 Morven Ferry Road will only increase urban sprawl and erode our natural landscapes. It begs the question: why force development into a site not intended for it?

Source: QLDC Spatial Plan A4 booklet

07/12/2025

If you haven’t had a chance yet, please take a moment to complete the short survey below. It only takes a couple of minutes, and all responses are completely anonymous.

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03/12/2025

Queenstown has seen a record number of resource consents in 2025... is our infrastructure ready to cope with this growth?

Local economist Benje Patterson has warned that the “kitchen sink” needs to be thrown at the Queenstown Lakes infrastructure deficit after posting the latest building consents data on social media…

23/11/2025

The conservative number of 8,000 traffic movements per day is what Ridgeburn is predicted to generate. 8,000 traffic movements filtering onto SH6, a road that is currently struggling with it current traffic load.

21/11/2025

It's important that we understand the community's key concerns about the Ridgeburn fast-track proposal. Please complete the survey linked below to help us accurately reflect them.

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20/11/2025

How big will Ridgeburn be? Here's some perspective compared to Arrowtown.

19/11/2025

You can now sign up on our website. Check out arrowjunctionresidentsassociation.co.nz/. Sign up and join our commitment to ensuring that we have a say in appropriate development in the Arrow Junction area.

Learn about Arrow Junction Residents Association's efforts to protect community interests against large-scale developments like Ridgeburn. Join us to have your voice heard.