In 2017 the Arrowtown Community Visioning report was produced after a comprehensive process of community workshops organised by Shaping Our Future and the AVA, and task force consideration of the big issues. The key report vision for Arrowtown was to create:
A vibrant, diverse community that is pro-active in managing its future in a way that values and sustainably protects its heritage, character, lifestyle and the natural environment.
The document has become a important blueprint for our village and we at the AVA were and are excited to have been given the role of guardian. It allows us to make recommendations to decision makers in a structured, community-driven way. We refer to the document often as we consult and inform you, our community.
Already aspects of this report can be seen coming to fruition, such as:
- Wilding tree removal on Tobins Face
- Trapping by Predator Free Arrowtown to protect native fauna
- The improved bus service
- Completion of the Queenstown Lakes Community Housing Trust development in Suffolk St
- Work beginning on the QLCHT affordable housing development at Tewa Banks
- Protection – so far – of the Urban Growth Boundary.
The report was always intended to be a living document and five years and a pandemic later the AVA has again linked up with Shaping Our Future to review the vision. Covid-19 has accelerated change in our community and brought us more like 10 years into the future projected in that original vision. So now is the right time to renew and rejuvenate the core principles, to see what has changed, what has been achieved and what could be added to make it 100% relevant today.
This year a group of volunteers looked at the key themes addressed by the working groups in 2017, updated the vision statements and success descriptors, and added some new key performance indicators and recommendations for action.
The community had the chance to review the draft version of the updated report at a public meeting in September 2022, and the final report incorporates the feedback and comments made at that meeting.
This updated report purposely mirrors the format of the 2017 document (and borrows its imagery) so that the structure of recommendations is consistent and comparable to the 2017 document, the significant majority of which is still relevant to the Arrowtown of 2022, and alongside which this report should be considered.
We’d like to acknowledge and thank the many individuals who have given their time over the years to produce, update and implement this community vision for Arrowtown. In particular we’d like to thank John Glover of Shaping Our Future and former AVA chair Susan Rowley who was a driving force in consultations for both the 2017 report and the 2022 update.