Queenstown Lakes will be entering the Orange Light level of the COVID-19 Protection Framework from 11.59pm on 2 December 2021. Learn more about how to stay safe and changes to Council services here.

Diverse range of business

One of our areas of focus is to help encourage industry diversity. While tourism is currently a major employer, we need to ensure our economy is resilient and future-proofed with high value jobs.

Who we work with

Startup Queenstown Lakes Study Queenstown Film Otago Southland

Support for existing businesses

We also support growth and development for existing businesses. Key partners in this space include NZTE, Callaghan Innovation, the Regional Business Partners Network, and the Chambers of Commerce in Queenstown and Wānaka.

Key projects

New niches and specialisms

Identifying specialisms and supporting them to grow is a key part of diversifying the economy. A growing local niche we have been supporting is technology for tourism - technology that can be used to drive productivity, customer experience, and the product offering. In 2019, our district hosted the inaugural TourismTech expo which showcased a large number of local tourism tech exhibitors. 

Remote worker economy

We recently commissioned research about people who live in our district but work for clients or employers elsewhere. Often these people work under the radar but our survey showed they are keen to get more connected locally. The summary is available to view below.

Diversification in Queenstown Lakes

Diversification in Queenstown Lakes explores the context around diversification in the Queenstown Lakes district and looks at what others have done, with case studies from the USA, Sweden, Chile and Australia. The findings are found below.

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