QLDC Annual Plan 2026 to 2027 Submission from TLCT
Ensuring Creativity, Culture and Heritage are essential to our district, we have submitted the below letter of submission to the QLDC Annual Plan 2026 to 2027.
Tēnā koutou katoa,
In my capacity as Chief Operating Officer of the Three Lakes Cultural Trust, kā mihi nui / thank you for the opportunity to submit on the QLDC Annual Plan 2026 to 2027.
Creativity, culture and heritage are essential infrastructure for a growing Queenstown Lakes District, contributing to economic diversification, community wellbeing and the long-term strength of the economy. While we are not requesting additional funding within this 2026–2027 Annual Plan, we submit this letter to acknowledge the importance of continued support for this work.
The Three Lakes Cultural Trust (TLCT) is the independent not-for-profit Regional Arts Organisation (RAO) for Queenstown Lakes, established in 2019. Our mission is to support and grow creativity, culture and heritage across the district through strategic advocacy, connectivity, capability building, promotion, and infrastructure.
We acknowledge our partnership with Queenstown Lakes District Council in delivering Te Muka Toi | Te Muka Tākata, the Creativity, Culture and Heritage Strategy and its ten-year implementation plan for the district.
Unanimously endorsed by Council in 2024, this community-led strategy is focused on delivery, driving activity and investment to realise the full potential of creativity, culture and heritage in the Queenstown Lakes District.
It is supported by a clear implementation plan, with defined priorities to build capability, strengthen connections and create long-term impact across the sector.
As the district’s Regional Arts Organisation, TLCT leads this work in collaboration with Council, Kāi Tahu, the Lakes District Museum and Gallery, Regional Tourism Organisations and the wider creative community, ensuring it is coordinated, connected and ongoing.
Together, we are turning strategy into delivery, ensuring creativity and culture are not optional but essential to shaping identity, strengthening community and driving economic diversification.
Year-round economic value
The creative and cultural sector enables people to build and sustain careers in the district — strengthening the local workforce and retaining talent over time.
Supported by a connected ecosystem, from festivals and galleries through to studios, innovation hubs and screen production, it contributes to a richer experience for both residents and visitors.
Nationally, the creative sector:
Contributes $13b to GDP annually ($17.5b including volunteer activity)
Accounts for 4.2% of total GDP
Is New Zealand’s fourth largest export sector, behind dairy, meat and forestry
Source: Toi Mai Workforce Development Council, September 2025 report
In Queenstown Lakes:
The district is the second most creative in New Zealand, with 5.6% of the Queenstown Lakes District workforce employed in the creative industries. Making it one of the largest and fastest-growing non-seasonal employment bases in the district.
This is a high-value workforce: 65% high-skilled spanning design, screen, architecture, media and digital
This is a knowledge economy sector: exportable talent-attracting and already embedded in the district economy
Sourced: 2024 Infometrics Creativity Index
Visitor insights from Destination Queenstown & Lake Wānaka Tourism’s Segment Insight Guides (Nov 2025) show international participation in arts, culture and heritage now ranks just behind hiking and on par with skiing. As the second highest engagement across 8 sectors, this reveals that creative experiences are central to how visitors connect with this place. Visitors who engage with culture stay longer, spend more and return more often - signalling a shift from transactional tourism to place-based experiences.
Community connection and resilience
Arts and culture are a practical investment for a stronger community by bringing people together, Three Lakes Cultural Trust reducing isolation and improving wellbeing. When we invest in creativity, we are investing in the mental health and happiness of every ratepayer, ensuring that Queenstown Lakes remains a place where people can truly thrive, not just survive.
Locally, and across Aotearoa,
63% of New Zealanders agree that the arts are good for their mental health and wellbeing.
60% of New Zealanders believe the arts improve society by bringing people together and encouraging self-expression.
The 2025 Quality of Life survey told us that 44% of our community have accessed mental health services themselves or for someone in their family
97% of 12-year-olds: data tells us that young people who are involved in extracurricular activities (like arts and sports) have significantly higher wellbeing and school engagement scores.
Supporting a Liveable, Growing District
As Queenstown-Lakes grows rapidly, it will come under pressure to maintain a sense of identity and cohesion. The 2025 Quality of Life survey and early engagement with the QLDC Long Term Plan 2027 to 2037, are proof points that our community highly value investment in arts, culture and heritage:
The 2025 Quality of Life Survey told us that 66% of residents have participated in events in the last year. This is a significant increase from 2024 and the highest result since monitoring commenced.
Regarding the types of events our residents want more of - arts and culture were 3 of the top 4 responses.
Creativity, Culture and Heritage had strong engagement in the QLDC Long Term Plan 2027 to 2037 early engagement, with 167 responses, surpassing housing, tourism and sport - valuing the creative sector through;
Social wellbeing and resilience: Residents view the arts as a tool for connection, mental health, and social cohesion.
Infrastructure and facilities: A clear mandate for fit-for-purpose spaces (libraries, art hubs, theatres) as essential infrastructure for a growing population
Economic and employment: Recognition of the creative sector as a key economic diversification, and high value industry for the district
Heritage and Storytelling: a focus on preserving the district’s identity through both built, heritage and cultural narratives.
Alignment across the Motu
Amplify: A Creative and Cultural Strategy for New Zealand 2025–2030, which aims to grow the sector to a $22 billion GDP contribution by 2030.
Tū Ma Rā, the Creative New Zealand long term strategy 2040, ensuring the arts and ngā toi Māori are flourishing; created by a thriving arts community, enriching lives here and around the world.
As the recognised Regional Arts Organisation for the district, Three Lakes Cultural Trust is in a unique position to ensure Queenstown Lakes best benefits through these shifts, particularly through Creative New Zealand's goal to empower community-led decision-making.
Creativity and Culture are Essential
The creative sector is essential social infrastructure - balancing growth with liveability in Queenstown Lakes. It drives proven year-round economic value, strengthens community connection and supports a district that retains residents while offering a richer, more meaningful experience for visitors.
Join Us: The Future of Creativity and Culture
Continued support for the implementation of Te Muka Toi Te Muka Tākata is critical to realising these outcomes.
The upcoming Hui session ‘The Future of Creativity and Culture’ on 11 June 2026 will focus on the role of creativity and culture in shaping a liveable, growing district - bringing together local, national and international perspectives to examine what is working, where there is pressure, and what is needed next.
Councillors have been invited to attend and are encouraged to come along to be part of this discussion. As the district evolves, the question is not just what we build, but how people live and connect here.
Te Muka Toi Te Muka Tākata - the unbreakable thread connecting creativity and humanity.
Kā mihi nui
Samantha Kirk
Chief Operating Officer - Three Lakes Cultural Trust
