Queenstown-Lakes District

Queenstown-Lakes District, a local government district, is in the Otago Region of New Zealand that was formed in 1986.[3] It is surrounded by the districts of Central Otago, Southland, Westland and Waitaki.

Queenstown-Lakes District
Territorial authority district
Lake Wakatipu, one of the lakes in the district
Lake Wakatipu, one of the lakes in the district
Coordinates: 45°01′52″S 168°39′51″E
CountryNew Zealand
RegionOtago
Wards
  • Arrowtown
  • Queenstown-Wakatipu
  • Wānaka
SeatQueenstown
Government
 • MayorGlyn Lewers
 • Deputy MayorQuentin Smith
Area
[1]
 • Total8,719.70 km2 (3,366.69 sq mi)
Population
 (June 2023)[2]
 • Total52,800
 • Density6.1/km2 (16/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+12 (NZST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+13 (NZDT)
Postcode(s)
Map of postcodes
Postcode(s)
9300, 9302, 9304, 9305, 9371, 9372, 9382, 9383, 9384, 9672, 9793
Area code03
Websitewww.qldc.govt.nz

Much of the area is often referred to as Queenstown because of the popularity of the resort town, but the district covers a much wider area, including the towns of Wānaka to the north-east, Glenorchy to the north-west and Kingston to the south.

The district is sometimes called the Southern Lakes, as it contains Lake Wakatipu, Lake Wānaka and Lake Hāwea.

Local government

The Queenstown Borough Council was constituted in 1866.[4] In 1986, Queenstown Borough Council merged with Lake County to form Queenstown-Lakes District Council. In 1989, Arrowtown Borough Council amalgamated with Queenstown-Lakes District Council in the 1989 local government reforms.

The district is administered by the Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) and regionally by the Otago Regional Council.

The Queenstown Lakes District is expected to grow faster than Auckland over the period 2006-31. Statistics New Zealand projections show the district shares the highest growth rate in New Zealand of 2.2% a year with the Selwyn District.[5]

Demographics

Queenstown-Lakes District covers 8,719.70 km2 (3,366.69 sq mi)[1] and had an estimated population of 52,800 as of June 2023,[2] with a population density of 6.1 people per km2.

Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
200622,959—    
201328,224+2.99%
201839,153+6.77%
Source: [6]

Queenstown-Lakes District had a population of 39,153 at the 2018 New Zealand census, an increase of 10,929 people (38.7%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 16,194 people (70.5%) since the 2006 census. There were 13,176 households. There were 19,971 males and 19,182 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.04 males per female. The median age was 34.4 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 6,522 people (16.7%) aged under 15 years, 9,195 (23.5%) aged 15 to 29, 19,317 (49.3%) aged 30 to 64, and 4,119 (10.5%) aged 65 or older.

Ethnicities were 83.6% European/Pākehā, 5.3% Māori, 1.0% Pacific peoples, 9.9% Asian, and 5.9% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity. At 5.3%, the Queenstown-Lakes District has the lowest proportion of Māori people of all territorial authorities in New Zealand.

The percentage of people born overseas was 39.9, compared with 27.1% nationally.

Although some people objected to giving their religion, 61.2% had no religion, 29.1% were Christian, 1.6% were Hindu, 0.4% were Muslim, 1.0% were Buddhist and 2.4% had other religions.

Of those at least 15 years old, 9,312 (28.5%) people had a bachelor or higher degree, and 2,493 (7.6%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $40,600, compared with $31,800 nationally. 6,495 people (19.9%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 21,660 (66.4%) people were employed full-time, 4,629 (14.2%) were part-time, and 354 (1.1%) were unemployed.[6]

Individual wards (2018 boundaries)
NameArea (km2)PopulationDensity (per km2)HouseholdsMedian ageMedian income
Queenstown-Wakatipu Ward4,481.3423,2535.197,35032.1 years$41,000
Wānaka Ward4,225.9713,0443.094,82139.7 years$38,700
Arrowtown Ward12.392,853230.271,00238.3 years$45,500
New Zealand37.4 years$31,800

Urban areas and settlements

The Queenstown-Lakes District has four towns with a population over 1,000. Together they are home to 88.0% of the district's population.[2]

In February 2023, Stuff reported that 27% of houses in the Queenstown Lakes District, particularly Queenstown and Wanaka, were unoccupied dwellings that were used by their owners as holiday homes and people who chose not to rent them. Though 650 new homes were built in the district, there was a shortage of rental housing since homeowners preferred to use their homes as short-term accommodation for platforms such as Airbnb. Between December 2021 and December 2022, the online auction platform Trade Me reported a 49% decline in rental listings in the Lakes District. Similarly, the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) reported that the number of rental houses between November 2021 and November 2022 had dropped by 100.[7] By November 2022, Radio New Zealand reported that the average home in the Lakes District cost NZ$1.7 million, while a three-bedroom rental cost a minimum of NZ$800 per week and a single bedroom rental NZ$500 or more per week.[8][9]

Urban area Population

(June 2023)[2]

 % of region
Queenstown 29,000 54.9%
Wānaka 12,400 23.5%
Arrowtown 3,060 5.8%
Lake Hāwea 2,020 3.8%

See also

References
  1. "ArcGIS Web Application". statsnz.maps.arcgis.com. Retrieved 24 December 2021.
  2. "Subnational population estimates (RC, SA2), by age and sex, at 30 June 1996-2023 (2023 boundaries)". Statistics New Zealand. Retrieved 25 October 2023. (regional councils); "Subnational population estimates (TA, SA2), by age and sex, at 30 June 1996-2023 (2023 boundaries)". Statistics New Zealand. Retrieved 25 October 2023. (territorial authorities); "Subnational population estimates (urban rural), by age and sex, at 30 June 1996-2023 (2023 boundaries)". Statistics New Zealand. Retrieved 25 October 2023. (urban areas)
  3. Department of Internal Affairs
  4. Cyclopedia Company Limited (1905). "Queenstown Borough Council". The Cyclopedia of New Zealand : Otago & Southland Provincial Districts. Christchurch: The Cyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
  5. Queenstown-Lakes District growth
  6. "Statistical area 1 dataset for 2018 Census". Statistics New Zealand. March 2020. Queenstown-Lakes District (070). 2018 Census place summary: Queenstown-Lakes District
  7. Jamieson, Debbie (15 February 2023). "Queenstown and Wānaka housing crisis fuelled by quarter of homes being unoccupied". Stuff. Archived from the original on 20 March 2023. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
  8. "Housing affordability crisis continues to grow in Queenstown Lakes". Radio New Zealand. 15 November 2022. Archived from the original on 3 December 2022. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
  9. Brown, Tim (28 November 2022). "Queenstown rental crisis squeezes town's most vulnerable". Radio New Zealand. Archived from the original on 4 February 2023. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
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