Creativity, culture and the future of Queenstown Lakes
Queenstown Lakes has more creative potential than its current infrastructure can support. The new Creative and Cultural Spaces and Places Evidence Report calls for creative and cultural infrastructure to be embedded in the district’s long-term planning, recognising its role in community wellbeing, local identity and economic resilience.
Click to view report
Commissioned by Queenstown Lakes District Council as an outcome of the Forum on the Future of Creativity and Culture at Te Muka Toi Te Muka Tākata Hui 2026, the report was prepared by Three Lakes Cultural Trust, with strategic contribution from Johny O’Donnell.
It brings together local evidence, research and perspectives from mana whenua, creative practitioners, business, community organisations and local government. Together, they show how creativity and culture contribute to belonging, wellbeing, identity and economic resilience.
The district already has strong participation and a creative sector contributing $234 million annually to its economy. Yet access to affordable, suitable spaces and the support needed to sustain activity is constraining what communities and businesses can achieve.
The report identifies eight priority actions to inform the Long-Term Plan 2027–2037 and wider infrastructure planning. These connect community needs with decisions about land, existing facilities, development, partnerships and investment.
The opportunity is to plan for creativity and culture with the same long-term intent as the other infrastructure that supports our growing communities.
Key findings
The evidence consistently points to five key findings:
Queenstown Lakes has a vibrant and growing creative and cultural ecosystem
Demand is strong and increasing
Creativity and culture contribute significantly to the local economy
Important infrastructure exist
Creative and cultural infrastructure is part of social infrastructure
What happens next?
The report recommends moving creative and cultural infrastructure from a project-by-project discussion to a coordinated programme of planning and investigation. It identifies eight priority actions, including:
Recognising creative and cultural infrastructure within the Long Term Plan work programme.
Preparing a district-wide Creative and Cultural Infrastructure Plan.
Establishing a cross-Council working group.
Protecting future opportunities through planning and property decisions.
Expanding creative space activation and brokerage models.
Exploring alternative funding and investment mechanisms.
Embedding cultural outcomes into capital projects and procurement processes.
Developing a shared evidence and monitoring framework.
“ The question is not whether Queenstown Lakes can afford to plan for creativity and culture. The question is whether it can afford not to.”
The report concludes that Queenstown Lakes does not lack creativity, talent or community participation. Rather, the opportunity is to better plan for and coordinate the infrastructure, partnerships and investment needed to support a thriving creative and cultural district as the community grows.
Creative and cultural infrastructure is presented as an important component of the district’s broader social infrastructure system, contributing to community wellbeing, identity, economic diversification and long-term resilience.
Read the full report HERE