Government minister to visit Queenstown as QLDC details latest situation

Sep 23, 2023

Emergency Management Minister Kieran McAnulty will brief Queenstown media later today on the latest on yesterday's storm and the Cryptosporidium water crisis. Crux will have full details of the briefing later today.

QLDC has posted the following updates on the clean up effort and current road closures.

The weather outlook is positive with dry conditions forecast for the next few days. There is no rain forecast until Tuesday. Crews continue to work to clean up the debris left behind following the weather event, and access has been reinstated to many roads, with priority given to Isle Street, Robins Road, Duke Street, Shotover Street, and Camp Street in Queenstown. Reavers Lane and Hamilton Road are now open to traffic.

Brecon Street remains closed this morning whilst crews continue to clean up and assess the road. The current cordon at the intersection of Brecon and Isle Streets remains in place for safety reasons. The team is continuing to evaluate an appropriate approach to allow affected businesses at the top of Brecon Street to reopen safely.

Parts of the Queenstown Cemetery have been affected by slips caused by heavy rain over the last two days. Our immediate priority is ensuring safe access and an assessment of the area is underway. We understand that many people in our community will be concerned about potential damage to their loved ones’ graves in Queenstown Cemetery after the recent weather event.

The emergency management and QLDC Parks and Reserves teams are liaising closely with religious groups and iwi. We would like to remind people that there is currently no public access to Queenstown Cemetery for safety reasons. We appreciate the distress this is likely to be causing to those friends and family members affected and we will provide further updates to the community as soon as we possibly can.

Building inspections have been completed in a localised area of Reavers Lane. Last night, 10 properties were red-stickered and two properties yellow stickered. While good progress has been made to divert water in the area to a manhole, further work is required today to clear a blocked culvert at the base of the catchment. Once this work is completed later today further assessments of the properties will take place.

Initially 55 people were evacuated. Staff have been in touch with affected residents and access has been reinstated for many. There are now 15 people who have not yet been able to return to their properties. Accommodation and support is being provided to those affected.

Several roads are still closed around Queenstown and the wider district, with more affected by surface flooding and debris. Up to date information is available on QLDC’s website: https://www.qldc.govt.nz/weather-event-sep23.

FURTHER INFORMATION

Please note details about the following tracks and reserves affected by the weather event:
- Frankton Track is to remain closed until further notice;
- Tiki Trail is closed;
- Matakauri Park is partially closed;
- Hawthorne Drive to Twin Rivers Trails – closed;
- Countryside trails, Christine’s Hill – open with signage in place; proceed with care;
- Access to Lake Hayes Reserve is currently closed; and
- Wanaka Outlet Track – closed between Gunn Road carpark and Albert Town Bridge.
Lake level monitoring: https://envdata.orc.govt.nz/AQWebPortal/Data/Map/Parameter/Lake%20Level/Interval/Latest
All updates are available at https://www.qldc.govt.nz/community/emergency-management/weather-event-september-2023
As a reminder, a boil water notice remains in place for all properties serviced by the Council’s Queenstown supply including Frankton, Quail Rise and Tucker Beach Rd, Kelvin Heights and Hanley’s Farm. Further details here: https://www.qldc.govt.nz/community/emergency-management/cryptosporidium-outbreak-advice-and-information
Ben Lomond Reserve to close as a precaution
- We ask that recreational users avoid the site until further notice.
- We appreciate the community’s ongoing support as we work through the challenging situation.
Evacuation Centre
- Earlier we mistakenly communicated that St Peters Church was an active evacuation centre. We sincerely apologise for any confusion or inconvenience this caused. There was a need early in the day for an evacuation centre but all affected people had been successfully moved to accommodation. If an evacuation centre is required at a later time, further communication will be shared.
Rapid Building Assessment Placarding System: https://www.building.govt.nz/managing-buildings/managing-buildings-in-an-emergency/rapid-building-assessment-placarding-system/