Maddy Harker

The Upper Clutha Children’s Medical Trust (UCCMT) is holding a playhouse raffle at this week’s Wānaka A&P Show to raise funds for local children’s medical support. Since its inception in 2009, the trust has provided financial support to more than 600 families facing a range of health needs, and the upcoming raffle will be its major fundraiser for 2026.

The Environment Court has made a final decision on the long-running Sticky Forest appeal, ruling that the last seven hectares of the site be rezoned from rural to large-lot residential (LLR). The 51-hectare Sticky Forest - on Wānaka’s skyline, between the Clutha River outlet and the Kirimoko residential subdivision - has been the focus of several court decisions over the past few years.

Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) has begun early-stage planning for Priority Development Areas (PDAs) in Wānaka - locations which have been identified for growth. Six PDAs were identified in the 2021 Spatial Plan, which provides a ‘roadmap to the future’, setting out a vision and framework for how and where the district will grow by 2050.