Queenstown
Keeping the South Island film industry alive
We speak to Arrowtown-based Great Southern Television chief executive and executive producer Philip Smith about what the South Island Film Industry will need to continue once it emerges from the… Audio
'You can't be a wimp if you want to achieve greatness'
Sir Michael Hill is in the Musical Chair this morning, talking to Jim about 40 years in the jewellery business, continuing to strive and dream big, his new book, his beloved golf course and the… Audio
Rick Stein: 'I keep asking to do a New Zealand food series'
Rick Stein has been visiting these shores since the 1960s, when he celebrated his 21st by eating crayfish in Kaikoura, and he's still pleading with his TV bosses to do a New Zealand food series. Audio
Griff Rhys-Jones' Great Kiwi Road Trip
Griff Rhys-Jones has been in New Zealand filming his new series, Griff's Great Kiwi Road Trip, which premieres next Sunday. Along with seeing the sights, he's on a quest to find out what it means to… Audio
A travel writer's guide to the roads less travelled
Travel writer Mary Jane Walker says people should always travel to the places they tell you not to. She is the author of the 'Maverick Traveller' series of books. Audio
Urban Villages established in face of Queenstown’s housing woes
Housing values in Queenstown seem to have plateaued, but when those values average more than $1 million, a plateau doesn't bring much relief for middle income earners looking to get into their first… Audio
Queenstown streets flooded after water-main rupture
A burst water-main caused flooding on streets in Queenstown today, trapping people in their houses. Checkpoint spoke to Philip Smyth while he was stuck inside a house that he was renovating on Glasgow… Video, Audio
People trapped in their homes due to burst water-main
Some Queenstown residents were stuck in their houses after a council contractor hit a water-main, sending water gushing through streets, cutting them off from the resort town. Video, Audio
$178,000 raised to establish Queenstown’s first mosque
Queenstown's Muslim residents have been praying in their own homes, in hired-out churches or driving hours to get to other mosques. Now they're one step closer to having their own mosque after… Video, Audio
Wastewater woes: Consent sought for overflows in Queenstown
The purity of lakes in the Queenstown district could be under threat by a resource consent being sought by the Queenstown Lakes District Council to discharge wastewater into the region's freshwater… Audio
Plea for NZTA, councils to make decisions on Queenstown's traffic woes
Tourism Industry Aotearoa says sorting out Queenstown's roading issues would do more to alleviate pressure on the town than a bed tax would.
BREAKING NEWS: Michael Hill International Violin Competition names semi-finalists
An esteemed panel of international judges has selected six semi-finalists from sixteen of the world's most talented young violinists competing in the Michael Hill International Violin Competition… Video
Queenstown Mayor responds to visitor levy claims
Voting is drawing to a close in a postal referendum on a proposed visitors' levy for Queenstown. The 5 per cent levy aims to raise $22.5m a year for tourist-related infrastructure but has been the… Audio
Voting set to begin on Queenstown bed tax plan
The Queenstown Lakes District Council is proposing a 5 percent bed tax on visitors to cope with the growing burden of tourists to the area.
Hundreds of Queenstown residents face homelessness
Around 300 residents of the former Lakeview holiday park in Queenstown face an uncertain future as plans to develop the site move ahead. The Queenstown Chamber of Commerce will hold a workshop in July… Audio
Bed tax best option for Queenstown - mayor
A bed tax is firming up as the best way of helping Queenstown cope with increasing pressure from tourists, the local mayor says, despite industry opposition.
Queenstown locals to have say on local visitor tax
Tourists have warned they'll give Queenstown a second thought if a local visitor tax is imposed in the resort town. The Queenstown Lakes District Council has voted unanimously to hold a referendum on… Audio
No more large-scale developments in Queenstown, locals plea
A proposed special housing area in Queenstown is copping flack from the community who say the town can't cope with the influx of more people. And as Tess Brunton reports, more housing developments… Audio
Queenstown trust offering homes for under half the town's average sale price
The first occupants of a home built under Queenstown Lakes' pioneering affordable homes model will move in by the end of this week.
Feedback sought on ways to ease Queenstown's traffic woes
The authorities in Queenstown are seeking feedback from both locals and visitors as the resort town attempts to grapple with long-standing traffic problems.
