Holiday alert: Please note that kerbside collections between 25-27 December and 1-3 January will be pushed out a day (even recyclers need a holiday). For more on Rubbish & Recycling in our district, see our dedicated webpage.

Council offices will close at midday Wednesday 24 December 2025 and reopen 8.00am Monday 5 January 2026. For urgent issues, call us on 03 441 0499 (Queenstown) or 03 443 0024 (Wānaka). For non-urgent issues, please us the Snap Send Solve App. We hope you have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

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Whakatipu Ferry Services

What's the project?

The Otago Regional Council (ORC) has investigated the benefits of a Lake Wakatipu public transport ferry option as part of the wider network. 

Progress so far

The ORC amended its previous Otago Regional Public Transport Plan (RPTP) to specify a Frankton Arm to Queenstown Bay water ferry as an essential service (for the purposes of trialling the service). Since March 2020, the ORC has contracted the former commercial ferry operator to ensure provide a service appropriate for COVID-19 times. This is currently financially supported by ORC and Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency.

The new 2021-2031 RPTP, which was adopted by the ORC in June 2021, specifies that the ORC will continue to provide a targeted ferry service as part of its network.