QLDC taking 'satisfactory steps' to improve transparency: LGC

The Local Government Commission has accepted the Queenstown Lakes District Council's plan of action for improving a fractured relationship with Wānaka and the Upper Clutha.

The commission says, "QLDC’s response demonstrates the council is cognisant of public concerns, understands where improvements need to be made, and is taking necessary steps towards improving relations with the Wānaka-Upper Clutha community". 

The council created the action plan in response to recommendations made by the commission after a petition from local residents and ratepayers called for Wānaka and the Upper Clutha to govern alone, separate from the Queenstown Lakes District.

The action plan was delivered to the commission at the end of May, and was made public on its website this week.

It is the commission's view the council has taken "satisfactory steps" to "address communication, engagement and transparency of information at a district level and specifically for Wānaka-Upper Clutha". 

"Within the allotted time frame QLDC have shown genuine effort to implement actions where possible and identify steps to continue to make improvements," it says.

"The impact of some of these steps are yet to be demonstrated. Ensuring that these efforts are sustained and evaluated will give greater understand to their impacts."

The commission has requested an update from the council in nine months. 

"This timeframe allows QLDC to further implement and entrench actions and changes," it says. 

Feedback has also been requested at the same time from the Wānaka-Upper Clutha Community Board.

Wānaka man Dean Rankin, who spearheaded the breakaway movement, remains unconvinced he has seen any tangible change in attitude towards electors on his side of the Crown Range.

But his thinking has shifted since launching his campaign three years ago.

He now thinks many of the issues with the functioning of the council he has raised over the years are increasingly district-wide challenges and not specific to the council's interactions - or lack of them - with Wānaka-Upper Clutha residents and ratepayers.

"I think that the Local Government Commission hasn't addressed the problems we are all facing," he says.

"The 'satisfactory steps that have been taken by the QLDC to address communication, engagement and transparency' are far from true."

He references council's new policy to open workshops - but not livestream or record them so people across the district can attend or follow them without having to travel long distances.

"These so called open meetings can't be attended by a lot of people due to work commitments...the mayor pushed back strongly against recording them and making them available online, so they are technically 'open' but practically inaccessible."

He says he feels like "nothing has really changed" and he will continue to campaign for "a big shake up" of council management.