Gibbston Village opposition mounts: 'This was snuck in'

Robert Yang says call him sentimental but he reckons the dark sky is the greatest story book you can ever have.

He walks out back of his home in Gibbston, tucked into a valley out of sight of Queenstown, and looks up.

"Every night when the sky is clear you see a lot of stars.

"That is one chapter.

"You put 900 homes in there, forget about reading this chapter, it's gone."

Just six months ago, Mr Yang was one of a number of locals celebrating the end of a successful bid to establish the Kawarau Gibbston Dark Sky Park - an internationally recognised 25-square-kilometre area where exceptionally starry nights are supposedly officially protected.

Now, it's at risk from a proposed 900-household development that's made the central government's list of projects set to be considered under a fast track consenting process.

Mr Yang says he is not opposed to development, and the land in question is already earmarked for new dwellings.

"They have their development approved going through the normal process. I think that should be the way. Fast track - they're just doing it for their reasons. I don't want to assume what reasons they have, but they're not good. And that's what one-hundred supporters in Gibbston with the Friends of Gibbston Character Zone are telling them."

So, what's being proposed?

The government's blurb describes Gibbston Village as a residential and commercial development project that includes a 2.4-hectare commercial area and space for a three-hectare primary school to cater to 350 pupils in addition to the 900 homes.

However an initial document released by the government got one important detail wrong: Town Planning Group, linked to Queenstown planner Brett Giddens, is not the applicant behind the Gibbston Village project.

Mr Giddens has confirmed to Crux the government has since corrected its error and Gibbston Valley Station is behind the deal.

Gibbston Valley Station is linked to Philip Griffith, an American who has made a living owning and selling Las Vegas casinos and now has interests in Gibbston Valley Wines.

The company's chief executive Greg Hunt has told Crux today he considers the Gibbston proposal to be unique compared to others on the government list in that it is "entirely within an existing development zone, with infrastructure in place for the initial stages of development".

"We appreciate concerns raised by locals and the Friends of Gibbston Character Zone recently, however, intentionally the Gibbston Village fast track project has not sought to expand into any area of the character zoning – rather, it is limited to the resort zone.

"The project location is effectively already zoned for development and infrastructure-ready. I believe this is one of the key reasons behind why ministers and officials accepted the project as suitable for listing in the Fast-track Approvals Bill."

Proposed are sections ranging in size from 350 square metres to 600 square metres on which will be sited standalone, duplex, and terraced housing.

Images of the proposed 900-home development are scarce, but here's the email signature of Michelle Kirkpartick, the head of sales and marketing for Gibbston Valley Resort.

Also in the plans, a 'Vinters Village', described in a general statement by Gibbston Valley Station as a place where locals can "gather with family and friends" that may include a café, a tasting room, a daycare, a garden centre, a service station, a community centre, office spaces, and boutique retail and food outlets.

Mr Hunt pushes back at the idea the development is any kind of death knell to dark skies.

He says the company supported the community application for the area's certification as an international Dark Sky Park and will continue to support the importance of that certification through "strict controls" throughout the project to "protect the night sky".

Also on its list of community commitments: a memorandum of understanding with the Queenstown Community Housing Trust to retain five percent of houses for affordable housing stock, large areas of open and community space to be protected in perpetuity and further development of cycling and pedestrian paths.

"We are focusing on providing a living and vibrant community, not only for the Gibbston Village but the wider Gibbston community; and we appreciate the need for open community conversations to continue," Mr Hunt says.

'This was snuck in'

The latest proposal is a pivot from what was originally pitched at the site - a luxury resort that lured high-profile buyer former National prime minister John Key development at the site.

Samuel Belk says residents of the area had no heads-up of the change in plans.

"This was snuck in...No one knew about it; even the council didn't know about it..When it was fast tracked it was a gigantic surprise to everyone."

Now Mr Belk is desperate to fill the information vacuum but as yet he and his neighbours have not met with representatives of the developer, not seen their application to the government for fast track consideration.

In response, they've gone on the offensive.

They're breathing life back into the Friends of Gibbston Character Zone - first established seven or so years back in a bid to stop an eight-home subdivision at the junction of Gibbston Back Road and the state highway instigated by Queenstown businessman and former police constable Graham Wilkinson.

"Friends of Gibbston Character Zone sort of gelled the community around protesting unrestrained development in Gibbston," Mr Belk says.

The 'GCZ', as he refers to it, protects what makes Gibbston special - viticulture, open space, and outstanding natural landscapes.

"This fast track proposal, which surfaced two weeks ago, created a panic. It's more than 100 times the size of Wilkinson and it's provoked a huge amount of consternation and stress in the community.

"For those of us who really care about keeping Gibbston rural and a place of vines, this is really a catastrophe."

Sean Brennan says Gibbston produces world class wines and he worries high-density development may jeopardise that (Image: Supplied/Sean Brennan).

'Best wines in the world' under threat

Sean Brennan's family first planted vines in Gibbston more than 20 years ago.

He says the area has "consistently produced some of the best wines in the world at some of the biggest wine competitions" often using solely Gibbston fruit.

"That's a resource that I think we all as winemakers really need to be protected."

A bit like with the dark skies, he worries it's future is under threat from development fast-tracked.

"The longer term issue, which is the really scary one, is that I think the developers, many of whom do not live here, some of them don't even live in New Zealand for the majority of their time, they're not concerned about any of that and they won't be dealing with people who may not have lived rurally in the past."

He says prospective buyers will see "lovely vineyards" and "beautiful landscapes", but there are plenty of precedents for trouble ahead.

"There's a lot of history to say that...residential development, particularly when it's high density, such as 900 homes, as they're proposing, alongside rural, viticultural activities can create a large amount of conflict."

He has seen it happen in wine regions the world over.

New residents can start to complain that "the frost fans are too loud or the tractors start at 3am".

"The developers, they deal with none of that, it's the producers who do."

Mr Brennan reckons these sorts of reverse sensitive issues have led to the degradation and disappearance of some of the best vineyards in the world, and he's worried he'll see it here.

"We have an incredible resource here in New Zealand, which competes on the world stage as some of the best, and for short term gain for people who really aren't in it for anything but making the money and then going back to somewhere else we'll lose all that and we'll never get it back."

For him, reigniting the Friends Of Gibbston Character Zone is about honouring the foresight of those who came before him and prioritising a local voice in what's now a centralised conversation.

"The vast majority of Gibbston residents are opposed to this, and they're the people that live here and their livelihoods and their quality of life depends on this, not the people who live somewhere else and never have to think about it once they plonk down 900 houses and go home."

The Friends of Gibbston Character Zone is meeting at 7pm on Monday, November 4, at The Church Cellar Door and Café to discuss the proposal.

Main image (Supplied/Brian Boyle/Copyright Brian Boyle): At risk? The historic church cellar door under the Milky Way.

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