Queenstown Lakes District Council provides services and facilities for our residents, visitors and ratepayers. These include the capability to plan for and respond to any emergencies or disruption caused by natural or man-made hazards. We are working with our communities to be aware of local hazards, plan for them, and mount an effective response.
Emergencies and disasters can strike at any time so it's important that everyone in the community is prepared. The Queenstown Lakes District is made up of a variety of communities, each with its own characteristics that make it special. We also have a very high number of visitors passing through our district, and in times of emergency we have to be prepared to help them as well as ourselves.
Emergency Management Otago and the Queenstown Lakes District Council are working with all our communities to help each develop its own Community Response Plan. We are also collaborating with the tourism sector and businesses to encourage them to become resilient and capable of looking after their staff and visitors in an emergency.
Emergency Management is not just a Council function. It is an integrated activity that involves many agencies, such as the emergency services and social service organisations, to ensure a successful community response.
If you are interested in finding out more about the Civil Defence & Emergency Management arrangements in our district, please contact the Queenstown Lakes District Council on (03) 4410499 or email services@qldc.govt.nz
In times of emergency, the Queenstown Lakes District Council will provide as much information to our community and visitors as possible through a variety of channels. Online: www.qldc.govt.nz and on Facebook www.facebook.com/QLDCinfo. You can sign up for text alerts: www.qldc.govt.nz/council-online/online-forms/text-alerts/
Emergency Management Otago will also have updates on emergencies affecting the Queenstown Lakes area as well as the rest of Otago on their Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/OtagoCDEM/ and Twitter feed: https://twitter.com/OtagoCDEM
Make sure you also know which radio stations to tune into - there is a list below.
Emergency Management Otago is encouraging residents across the region to sign up to Gets Ready, a proven two-way communication tool which helps people better prepare for emergencies and be more informed, co-ordinated and resilient when they occur.
Gets Ready is a well-established system that was set up in the Selwyn District after the 2010-11 Canterbury earthquakes. It has already been trialled in Central Otago and Queenstown’s Kelvin Heights Peninsula for the past year and is now being rolled out regionwide.
More FM - 92 FM
The Hits - 90.4 FM
Newstalk ZB - 89.6 FM
RNZ National - 101.6 FM
Radio Central - 96.0 FM
Radio Wanaka - 92.2 FM
More FM - 99.4 FM
The Hits - 96.2 FM
RNZ - 101.0 FM
Newstalk ZB 90.6 FM
If you're interested in offering your services as a Civil defence volunteer, there are a number of organisations you can contact.
Volunteer South:
Visit Emergency Volunteering for more information.
If you would like to be part of a Community Response Group:
Fill out a Queenstown Lakes Community Response Group Volunteers form.
If you would like to help out in a welfare capacity contact:
The Red Cross LINK: www.redcross.org.nz
The Salvation Army LINK: www.salvationarmy.org.nz/about-us/volunteer-with-us
If you would like to help out in an operations capacity, contact:
LandSAR - email join@wakatipusar.co.nz or visit: www.landsar.org.nz for more information.
The Red Cross LINK:https://www.redcross.org.nz
Arrowtown is a prepared community with an up-to-date community response plan which you will find below.
If you are in Arrowtown when an emergency occurs and you need assistance, there are six civil defence centres where you will be able to get help.
Civil Defence Centres » Queenstown Lakes District Council
Frankton is a well-established community on the eastern shores of Lake Wakatipu. There are four civil defence centres in Frankton where you can look for assistance in an emergency.
Glenorchy is a self-contained community at the head of Lake Wakatipu. There is a single road in and out of Glenorchy along the shores of the lake, as well as boat access and an airstrip. Glenorchy has a small but growing community of permanent residents, a large number of holiday homes and a high number of seasonal day and visitors.
If you are in Glenorchy during any kind of emergency, you will find help at one of the Civil Defence Centres:
Kelvin Peninsula and Jack's Point are communities on the shores of Lake Wakatipu. Kelvin Peninsula is a self-contained community with one single access road but multiple access points for boats and helicopters in times of emergency. Jack's Point is a fast-growing and relatively new community, 10 minutes drive from Frankton.
If you are in Kelvin Peninsula or Jack's Point when an emergency occurs and you need assistance, there are six civil defence centres where you will be able to get help. The Remarkables Skifield base building also acts as a civil defence centre for those on the mountain in an emergency.
Kingston is a self-contained community at the southernmost end of Lake Wakatipu, on the border of the Queenstown Lakes and Southland Districts, on State Highway 6.
If you are in Kingston when an emergency occurs, you will find assistance at the two civil defence centres in the township:
Lake Hawea and Hawea Flat are neighbouring communities in the Upper Clutha. Both have small permanent resident populations and a culture of neighbourliness and resilience.
If you are in either Lake Hawea or Hawea Flat during an emergency, you will be able to get assistance from one of the five civil defence centres:
The Lake Hayes area is one of the fast-growing population centres in the Wakatipu Basin. It combines mixture of established permanent residences and holiday homes around the edge of Lake Hayes with the fast-growing subdivisions at Lake Hayes Estate and Shotover Country.
There are two civil defence centres in this area:
Makarora is one of the smallest, most remote and also most resilient communities in the Queenstown Lakes District. Residents are often isolated by landslides, flooding or snow which closes SH6 between Hawea and the West Coast. Consequently the community is well prepared for all kinds of emergencies.
There are four civil defence centres in Makarora:
Queenstown is the largest communuty in the District. As well as the permanent residents the overnight population swells due to the large number of visitors - many from overseas. In addition, thousands of day visitors come to Queenstown to experience the scenery and the many tourist activities.
There are three civil defence centres in Queenstown where you will receive assistance in an emergency:
Wanaka is the largest community in the Upper Clutha area of the district. As well as having a large permanent population, Wanaka's population swells at weekends and during vacations due to the large number of out-of-town holiday home owners and visitors.
There are four civil defence centres in Wanaka and the outlying areas:
Bob's Cove is within the Queenstown "Red Zone" which means it is a community at risk from wildfire. There is a year-round ban on outdoor fires at Bob's Cove. This includes fireworks.
In the event of a fire, there are two evacuation and assembly points at Bob's cove. they are at Coverts Paddock and the Camping Ground.
Closeburn is within the Queenstown "Red Zone" which means it is a community at risk from wildfire. There is a year-round ban on outdoor fires at Closeburn. This includes fireworks.
In the event of a fire, there are two evacuation and assembly points at Closeburn. they are at Closeburn Station Paddock and the Camping Ground.
Wilson Bay is within the Queenstown "Red Zone" which means it is a community at risk from wildfire. There is a year-round ban on outdoor fires at Wilson Bay. This includes fireworks.
In the event of a fire, there are two evacuation and assembly points at Wilson Bay. they are at Top Terrace and on the Wilson Bay foreshore.
Moke Lake is within the Queenstown "Red Zone" which means it is a community at risk from wildfire. There is a year-round ban on outdoor fires at Moke Lake. This includes fireworks.
In the event of a fire, there are two evacuation and assembly points at Moke Lake. They are at 150 Alpine Retreat Road and at the Woolshed off Moke Lake Road.
The Skyline area on top of Bob's Peak is a popular visitor destination. Because of its location among trees, it is within the Queenstown "Red Zone" which means it is at risk from wildfire. There is a year-round ban on outdoor fires at the Skyline recreation area. This includes fireworks.
In the event of a fire, the evacuation and assembly point on the Skyline area is at the gondola complex.
Arthur's Point is within the Queenstown "Red Zone" which means it is a community at risk from wildfire. There is a year-round ban on outdoor fires at Arthur's Point. This includes fireworks.
In the event of a fire, the evacuation and assembly point for the Arthur's Point community is at Strawberry Fields Paddock on Littles Road
Download the New Zealand Red Cross Hazard App (free) from the Google Play Store or the Apple App Store: Hazard App
The Hazard App is a free life-saving app for smartphones and tablets. The app helps you identify, prepare and respond to hazards in New Zealand. The app is pre-loaded with information about hazards including floods, earthquakes, tsunami, fire, weather, epidemics and biosecurity risks. The Hazard App enables you to receive official emergency warnings and alerts according to your location or the locations of your friends and family.
If life or property is at risk - call 111 (fire, police, ambulance)
For general inquiries about civil defence in your community:
EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
Office: 034410499
Craig Gibson
Emergency Management Advisor (Queenstown Lakes)
Craig.Gibson@otagocdem.govt.nz