Council Briefing/Workshop - Item 1: Transport Strategy Update (Attachment A: Transforming Transport - Transport Planning and Investment)

Context and purpose. This is a Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) Council briefing/workshop item, 'Item 1: Transport Strategy Update', held on Tuesday 14 July 2026, with 30 minutes of presentation and 60 minutes of discussion (p1). It was prepared by Tony Pickard, Strategy Planning Manager (Transport), on 25 June 2026 and reviewed and authorised by Tony Avery, General Manager, Property and Infrastructure, on 3 July 2026 (p1). Its stated purpose is to update councillors on several transport workstreams, including external programmes, and to clarify the overlaps between the Otago Central Lakes Transport Network Plan and the NZTA (Waka Kotahi) Strategic Network Plan (p1). Attachment A is a slide presentation, 'Transforming Transport: Transport Planning and Investment', in two parts (pp2-3).

Part A: Transport Network Plan. The slides note that alignment is needed across several workstreams in this LTP cycle: QLDC strategy planning, the Way to Go (W2G) programme with ORC and NZTA, the Otago Central Lakes (OCL) Regional Deal, the LTP/RLTP/NLTP, the Infrastructure Strategy and NZTA's Strategic Network Plan (p5). The TNP is meant to bring earlier single-location or single-mode strategies together into one document describing the current state, a vision and a future state, with projects and actions to close the gap, covering all of Queenstown Lakes District and key Central Otago centres and corridors, for all modes (pp6-7). Deliverables are due in early September 2026 (p9). The SNP is described as limited to the state highway network in and around Frankton. Common features are that major transport projects have not attracted committed funding through existing mechanisms and that a different funding approach is required (p10). 'Offline Public Transport' is listed as a link with the proposed Regional Deal (p11). ORC public transport planning slides cover Wānaka/Upper Clutha and sub-regional services. They state that the TNP will look at options for a future multi-modal PT network integrating buses, active travel and offline solutions (p14). An indicative Wānaka service is costed at $1,172,700 with a BCR of 1.1 (p15). A timeline shows the Upper Clutha service launching in LTP Year 2 and an OCL sub-regional service in LTP Year 4 (p17).

Part B: Infrastructure Strategy (transport). Significant issues include growth outpacing capacity, investment processes unsuited to the task, a local ratepayer base too small to fund a network serving many tourists, a vulnerable network with few alternative routes, environmental effects, and affordability. Central government support is described as insufficient, so levels of service are now dropping (p21). Under the strategic direction, NZTA will focus on GPS-led improvements around Frankton, and ORC on service improvements in the Whakatipu Basin, sub-regional services and possibly Wānaka. The slide adds: 'At the time of writing, this may also include a first national aerial network to provide predominantly public transport services' (p22). QLDC must either find new ways to fund the planned programme or prioritise part of it, possibly focusing on Wānaka, the Queenstown Town Centre or the Whakatipu Basin (p22). An enabling toolkit covers TDM, parking management plans for Queenstown, Frankton and Wānaka, network planning, and ITS to enable time-of-use charging and tolls (p23).

Area programmes: Wānaka/Upper Clutha corridor, active travel, optimisation and PT infrastructure, $53M short term and $20M (to be confirmed) medium term (p24). Queenstown Town Centre: arterial route Stages 3 and 2, a PT interchange, parking for a modelled shortfall of 1,100 spaces, and street upgrades, $60M short term and $346M medium term (p25). Whakatipu: Arthurs Point Crossing (the existing historic bridge is at end of life; a toll should be considered), Malaghans corridor, park and ride at the eastern, southern and western network limits, active travel and vulnerable roads, short term to be confirmed and $73M medium term (p26). The slide notes that road capacity freed by ORC's fleet improvements is likely to be absorbed by induced demand (p26).

Three pathways are set out (pp27-28). Reactive: toolkit plus essential replacements, $120M. Progressive: Wānaka first, then Queenstown and Whakatipu, $650M. Aggressive: Wānaka and Queenstown accelerated in the first ten years, $650M. All are in addition to continuous low-cost, low-risk programmes of about $300M over ten years (p28). The slides state that traditional LTP and NLTP pathways are unlikely to be sufficient and that the programme will not be funded wholly by rates (pp27-28).

Mass rapid transit: The paper deals with the topic directly but briefly. Slide 18, 'Offline Mass Rapid Transport', states that 'Whakatipu will need an alternative to either the current road network, to create more capacity for PT vehicles, or an off-line system'. It lists QLDC's requirements: a service that supports planned growth areas, a fully protected route, integration with other modes, complementing rather than replacing planned interventions, affordability and accessibility (p18). Offline PT is also listed under the Regional Deal (p11) and ORC planning (p14), and the strategy slide refers to a possible 'first national aerial network to provide predominantly public transport services' (p22). The paper does not name mass rapid transit, identify a route, cost or programme for offline MRT, or include it in the pathway costings.