McDonald’s latest Wānaka proposal is serving up split opinions – with some residents seeing it as a more palatable offer, and others concerned they will not get a say.
The fast food giant’s application for resource consent to build a restaurant at Mt Iron was declined by independent commissioners in February following a three-day hearing and super-sized opposition.
It has now applied to build a 450sqm restaurant and drive-through next to a BP petrol station in the Three Parks business area, just over 1km from the original site.
Wānaka’s Isaac Neil said he believed Three Parks was a better place for the golden arches.
“I didn’t really like the previous proposal at Mt Iron. I think the points that were made around disrupting the natural space that was there were pretty valid, but I think Three Parks is the right spot for it,” he said.
Another Wānaka local Max Sheehy said it made sense for McDonald’s to be near other big chain stores at Three Parks.
“We’ve got the Warehouse, we’ve got Noel Leeming, we’ve got all these other big corporations. I feel like if you’re going to punish McDonald’s, you’ve got to punish everyone else in Three Parks,” he said.
Nicole Malpass said there were few options for food driving into Wānaka late at night.
“There aren’t many places open past 9pm unless you want a pie. I’m sure there’s other people that wouldn’t mind seeing it. I have three kids and I’m sure I’d go there. I don’t mind the coffees, controversially,” she said.
Strong opposition to previous plan
McDonald’s previous plan resulted in 367 public submissions, most of which were opposed to the plans, along with pickets, a petition and a three-day council hearing.
Critics objected to the potential look of McDonald’s in the lakeside town, along with concerns about rubbish, traffic and healthy eating.
Some locals and visitors at the Wānaka waterfront told RNZ they still were not too hot on the fast-food chain coming to town, including Dan Broadhurst who said he liked the town as a small business hub.
“I think part of the appeal of coming here is the fact that it’s got quite a bit of personality and its own local identity. I think those things start coming into town it just looks tacky,” he said.
Sweden’s Britta Kockum said she liked travelling to places with “the least McDonald’s possible”.
“You like to have the genuine tradition from the place you are visiting. You want to see what New Zealand has to offer,” she said.
Three Parks developer Allan Dippie said the new restaurant had been thoughtfully designed to adhere to Three Parks’ appearance guidelines and would not have the bright signage of a McDonald’s in downtown Auckland.
“I just don’t think there’ll be the opposition this time round. I think the town’s fairly at one with itself,” he said.
McDonald’s had been good to work with, Dippie said.
“We’ve formulated a plan for a good site in the right zone, one that won’t offend anybody. A site that works well for us as developers and for them as a restaurant. So, it’s been a pretty collaborative process,” he said.
‘No different to any other strip mall’
Queenstown Lakes District Council was assessing the new resource consent application as a non-complying activity that required independent transport and noise assessments before any decision.
The new site did not need rezoning, so people who campaigned against the first restaurant such as Freshlink Grocer owner Jesse Herbert were digesting the fact they might not get a chance to make a public submission.
“A huge portion of people that live here, live here because it’s not Queenstown. Right now, if you drive into Queenstown it’s no different to any other strip mall, or expanding mountain town anywhere in the world,” he said.
“It’s not for me to have a say if they’re following the rules set out by the council but there has to be some more conversation in the country about the Resource Management Act, which is very clearly favouring multinational international corporations strip malling the country top to bottom.
“Realistically the end result of that is for all consumers in New Zealand, no matter where you go, you get some version of McDonald’s, BP, vape shops and phone cases made by children my daughter’s age in third world countries.”
In a statement, a McDonald’s spokesperson said the company would work through the consent process with Queenstown Lakes District Council.
“As previously stated, our intention remains to open a restaurant in Wānaka. A number of alternative sites presented themselves following the hearing on the Mt Iron resource consent. We have now lodged a resource consent application for a site in Three Parks, zoned business mixed use,” McDonald’s said.
“Subject to consent approval we will then confirm a planned opening date.”
By Katie Todd of rnz.co.nz
