Following the establishment of the Malaghans Valley Protection Society (MVPS) in September and the recent announcement of accepted Fast-Track projects, opposition is mounting against the Coronet Village Fast-Track project.

MVPS’s membership has grown to over 200 members and local experts are now providing insight and advice and warning of the knock-on effects if the development were to proceed.

MVPS chairman James Hall says this support has been extremely valuable and he has been using this insight to continue lobbying the government and gather additional support from the community.

“It concerns me that Coronet Village was accepted by the advisory panel when no environmental impacts were considered, and there was no independent ratification or information from third parties. They were totally reliant on the applicant’s information,” says Mr Hall.

“Bernard Cleary and the consortium have stated last week that they may scale things back and talk to the community, and we look forward to that. They have also shared their plans for Coronet Village with us over the weekend which is a good step. It means we now can have a more constructive discussion,” he adds.

Some of the experts who have provided insight to MVPS include Bruce McLeod from Aurum Survey Consultants, Paddy Baxter from Baxter Design, and Glenn Davis from E3 Scientific. Mana Tāhuna and tourism company AuthenticAs have also provided their insight.

Bruce McLeod says the site is one of the worst locations in the basin for remoteness to services and would be another development that further stretches our existing fragile networks.

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“Residents would need to drive everywhere and any eco-gains from the gondola would be offset substantially by trying to heat shaded homes and dispose of effluent. Instead of developing a damp, cold site in the upper catchment of Lake Hayes, we should be intensifying the existing urban areas with density next to existing service hubs,” says Mr McLeod.

Paddy Baxter says it appears that the scale of the Coronet Village development would be contrary to the key relevant landscape-related objectives and policies of the Operative and Proposed District Plans.

“These objectives and policies are in place so the amenity values (or quality) of the environment are maintained or enhanced by any development. From the information that has been made public, it appears that Coronet Village does not avoid, remedy or mitigate adverse effects of activities on the environment, and does not maintain or enhance the landscape character,” says Mr Baxter.

MVPS’s own research into QLDC’s District Plan and hazard maps indicate deep-seated landslides and alluvial fan risk in the immediate area of the proposed village. There are many other areas in the Whakatipu basin without such natural hazards that MVPS believes would be far better for development. The land is also located far from the defined Urban Growth areas that have been put in place to control the location of development throughout the district, avoiding areas simply not suitable for intense urban land uses.

Glenn Davis says there has been significant catchment remedial work designed to reduce sediment loads in waterways and starve the lake of nutrients but Coronet Village and the resultant discharge of wastewater from 780 houses presents a considerable risk to Lake Hayes.

“The sensitivity of the lake cannot be overstated. A Fast-Track process that promotes economic activity ahead of environmental protection could simply exacerbate the poor catchment decisions of the past and undo the hard work and investments made by the local community to restore the water quality of Lake Hayes,” says Mr Davis.

Mana Tāhuna has also been in contact with MVPS and is a charitable trust heavily involved with catchment restoration.

“Mana Tāhuna has worked hard the last four years to restore and protect our precious taonga in the Wai Whakaata (Lake Hayes) catchment. We have had no involvement or engagement from the developers proposing the subdivision in Dalefield. Our view is any future development in our rohe, especially Wai Whakaata, must not be at the expense of our whenua,” says a representative from Mana Tāhuna.

In addition to the impacts on infrastructure and waterways, there is major concern about the effects on the quality of the night skies of Malaghans Valley and Coronet Peak.

Simon Williams has developed and runs the AuthenticAs Starry Night Adventures. He has major concerns about the impact Coronet Village and other Fast-Track developments within Queenstown will have on our Dark Sky Environment.

“The dark sky corridor that exists between Arthurs Point and Arrowtown, and its close proximity to a worldwide tourism mecca, makes it one of the best in the world,” says Mr Williams.

“With Fast-Track, planned growth has been swapped for opportunistic development. It is the further afield and unintended consequences we will all pay for down the track. MVPS is not anti-development, we are pro-development that makes sense, and I encourage you to join us,” adds James Hall.

About Malaghans Valley Protection Society:

The Malaghans Valley Protection Society (MVPS) was set-up in September 2024 to inform the local community and wider Whakatipu basin of the Coronet Village project and to stop the development. The Fast-Track project is planned at the foothills of Coronet Peak in between Arrowtown and Arthurs Point, and is being directed by Ben Farrell in partnership with Bernard Cleary, Rod Drury and other parties.

About the Coronet Village project:

The Coronet Village project includes a gondola to Coronet Peak, a 780-home subdivision, commercial centre, private schools, and 600-800 carparks on land which is zoned rural and in the upper catchment of Lake Hayes. This land also includes Outstanding Natural Landscape (ONL) and QEII covenanted land and is far from the defined Urban Growth areas.

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