$200m film hub plan for Queenstown
The Ayrburn Screen Hub proposed by developer Chris Meehan envisages a film and television production facility on about 26ha of land between Arrowtown and Lake Hayes.
Mt Meehan said the application by his company Winton Land was now one step closer after being accepted for government's the fast-track approval process.
'This will be great for Queenstown jobs and it's great for New Zealand's economic growth," he said in a statement.
'The project will increase New Zealand's ability to attract high quality films from around the world, and also means that local film makers will have the best quality facilities available to them at one of the world's most unique and sought after locations.'
The hub would be an all-inclusive film studio enabling users to work and stay onsite through filming, production and post-production.
It would include studio buildings, office space, dressing rooms, a screening room and meeting space, with 185 room accommodation foe workers which could double as visitor accommodation during quiet periods.
During its construction, the project would inject an estimated $280 million into the local economy and support 640 full-time jobs across the wider Otago region, he said.
The hub would "underpin approximately 370 jobs locally every year, with flow-on benefits into the wider community and labour market,' he said.
'Diversifying Queenstown's economy is key to its sustainable growth.
The screen hub is among the first two non-listed projects to go into the new fast-track approval process.
It was referred under the Fast-track Approvals Act 2024 by Minister for Infrastructure Chris Bishop.
The Act contains two pathways for projects to enter the government's new one-stop-shop approvals process.
"The first pathway, Schedule 2 of the Act — commonly referred to as the fast-track list — contains 149 projects which can apply directly to the Environmental Protection Authority to have an expert panel assess the project, decide whether to consent it, and apply any relevant conditions.
"The first three expert panels are already under way and more are expected soon."
The second pathway was for project owners, such as the Ayrburn project, to apply to the minister for infrastructure for referral into the fast-track process, Mr Bishop said.
"For this pathway, the minister for infrastructure must consult the minister for the environment and any other ministers with relevant portfolios, along with iwi and the relevant local authority, before deciding whether to refer the project."
Yesterday, Mr Bishop referred the Ayrburn Screen Hub application into the fast-track process.
The other project was Ashbourne, in Matamata, Waikato.
"This application is for a residential and retirement development project of 530 new homes and 250 retirement units, along with associated commercial development and infrastructure, and two solar farms with the capacity to power 8000 homes.
"These two projects may now move to the next stage in the fast-track process by lodging substantive applications with the EPA, to be considered by expert panels."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Otago Daily Times
7 hours ago
- Otago Daily Times
22 tenants in five-bedroom home: Queenstown landlord fined $113k
A Queenstown landlord chose to ignore tenancy rules by housing 22 mainly migrant workers in a five-bedroom house, converted garages and a shed, the Ministry of Business and Innovation says. James Truong has been ordered to pay $113,723.56 for multiple breaches of the Residential Tenancies Act as well as refund 40 percent of rent paid by the tenants lodged in an unlawful boarding house. The ministry's tenancy compliance and investigations team found the house had failed to meet healthy homes standards and Truong had interfered with the tenant's power supply as well as posting invalid rent increases and harassing a tenant The team had advised Truong to stop using the building as a boarding house in 2020 but a complaint in 2023 revealed 11 people living in the five-bedroom house, and a further 11 people in two converted garages and a shed. TCIT National Manager Brett Wilson said Truong was an experienced landlord who would have been well aware of his obligations and responsibilities under the Act. "Mr Truong knew the rules but chose to ignore them. There was significant non-compliance in this case with multiple breaches of the Act ranging from failure to comply with healthy homes and insulation statement requirements to interfering with the supply of electricity. "The level of damages awarded reflects the seriousness of the non-compliance in this case and the number of people affected," Wilson said. Wilson said the tenants were in a vulnerable situation given most of them were new to the country. "Many of the tenants were overseas workers on working holiday visas who had little knowledge of their rights as tenants in New Zealand. They were also working in a location with a shortage of rental accommodation which made them vulnerable to a landlord who was knowingly operating outside of the Residential Tenancies Act." Adjudicator R Woodhouse rejected Truong's claims that the house was safe and compliant and that he was simply helping his tenants out. Woodhouse noted the commercial levels of rent charged at the premises were not consistent with that approach, and when attention from authorities came on to the premises, the tenancies were abruptly terminated. Truong was also issued with a three-year restraining order from committing any further unlawful acts related to operating a boarding house. RNZ has contacted Truong for comment.
Otago Daily Times
13 hours ago
- Otago Daily Times
Fears immigration levy could hit international student numbers
Universities say a proposal that could make them pay a levy to Immigration New Zealand might harm international student numbers. The government is considering a law change that would allow Immigration New Zealand to levy organisations that benefit from its work, such as education providers. At the moment, it can only charge visa applicants. "Currently there are people and groups who do not contribute to the broader costs of the immigration system (because they do not pay an immigration levy; only visa applicants can be charged a levy under the Immigration Act 2009 (the Act)), but who do receive its benefits or create risks that require mitigation," a regulatory impact statement said. The statement said education providers benefited from Immigration NZ services that they did not directly pay for. "Education providers that enrol international students directly financially benefit from the immigration system by tapping into a wider pool of students who are generally charged high fees than domestic students for their education," it said. "Education providers that enrol international students also derive significant financial benefits from access to foreign students and benefit from the ICT, border, and settlement activities funded from the levy." Universities New Zealand said the cost of a levy was likely to be passed on to students and could deter them from enrolling in this country. It said the government needed to be careful the user-pays model did not cost the country more in lost economic activity than it earned Immigration New Zealand. "On average, each international student at a New Zealand university spends around $36,000 to study and this flows through to another $22,000 of broader economic activity for the country for a total of around $58,000 per student annually," it said. "International students have choices as to where they study and cost is a particularly important factor for many of the students from lower income countries." Universities New Zealand said Immigration NZ increased its student visa fees in October 2024 by 90%and actual student enrolments for the university sector for 2025 ended up about 10% below forecast. "As government considers amending settings around making users pay for public services, we hope that government will also consider the public benefits that flow through to the wider economy from these students," it said.
Scoop
a day ago
- Scoop
City And Regional Deals Reflect ACT Policy Years In The Making
ACT MP Simon Court has welcomed today's announcement of the Government's expectations for City and Regional Deals and the signing of the first agreements to begin negotiations with three regions. 'For years ACT has championed the idea of genuine partnerships between central and local government to make sure important infrastructure actually gets built,' says Mr Court. 'Today's announcement puts that idea firmly into practice. By setting clear objectives for City and Regional Deals, the Government is taking a disciplined approach to solving New Zealand's infrastructure deficit without simply writing blank cheques from the taxpayer. 'These deals will mean local and central government can agree on joint priorities like enabling more housing, unlocking regional economic growth, and delivering better infrastructure. This is exactly the kind of long-term thinking that has been missing for too long in New Zealand. 'Before the 2020 election, ACT called for city and regional partnerships so infrastructure investment would be long term, coordinated between central and local government, and subject to robust cost-benefit analysis. That idea is now Government policy – straight from our Coalition Agreement. 'ACT has plenty more great ideas in this space, including sharing a portion of GST on new builds with councils – an ACT policy that our coalition partners have committed to explore. It would incentivise growth and development to occur while ensuring the infrastructure to support it can be funded properly. 'This is a great example of how ACT is making the Government better. We're delivering results for taxpayers and ratepayers who want value for money, certainty, and infrastructure that supports more housing, more jobs, and a stronger economy
