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STARTJOBS ON LAKES WEEKLY PAGE 28 17th - 23rd March 17th - 23rd BULLETIN FIRST ON THE STREET No 742 WWW.LWB.CO.NZ • BUY • ACCOMMODATION • SELL • INFORMATION • JOBS • [email protected] In the door The world sneezes and Queenstown gets a nasty virus. Where the COVID-19 Pandemic goes from here is anyone’s guess. Obviously, nothing is more important than good health and we will all be paying particularly close attention to that. Fingers crossed one case of COVID-19 in Queenstown does not turn into more. Economically however, it’s a whole new kettle of fi sh. From employee to employer, small business to large corporation, it’s a worrying situation. Running a business has never been easy. Admittedly at times it seems easy, but it never is, especially when the “situation” is so far out of your control it’s akin to aliens landing. Queenstown has literally been turned on its head. For the foreseeable future we are an international tourism destination no more. Is there a silver lining? You would have to stretch the bow far back to fi nd one, but yes there kind of is. Timing is everything and at least we are at the tail end of the summer season. April, May and June are not generally mission critical months for most businesses in town. The anti-growth crusaders may even With his Mum and Dad watching from the crowd, local be celebrating as sick as that sounds. I did not hear the 7am jet from Marcus ‘Hooligan’ Kool won the title fi ght at SPW’s ‘Queenstown Auckland this morning. Maybe it was cancelled along with numerous Wrestlefest’ at Memorial Centre at the weekend other fl ights in and out of ZQN. If you are one of those old school (Photo: Jodi Walters) locals who wish for Queenstown to be “the way it was in 1984”, congratulations your wish is granted. At least in the short term our traffi c congestion problems are solved, our dangerous foreign drivers are gone, replaced with tumble weeds rolling down Shotover Street. Hope of lessoning the blow now lays fi rmly at the feet of us, the locals. If we go into lock down our local businesses will suffer all the more. It might actually be quite nice to have the place to ourselves. One thing you can be absolutely sure of is your custom at a local restaurant, bar, attraction or activity will be extremely well received. If we do not support ourselves there is a very good chance this COVID-19 situation will put hundreds out of work and tip dozens of businesses over the edge. Local customers are for now back in their rightful place at the top of the appreciation tree. As alien as it might seem, this is not the fi rst time the world has gone into panic mode and time will tell if that panic is really justifi ed. Regardless, the hardest part to get your head around is nobody knows how deep and how long the COVID-19 economic cut will be. Uncertainty is business confi dence’s worst nightmare. In the last 15 years we have had swine fl u, bird fl u, volcanic ash clouds and global recession. That’s life, the smart money plans for such things. Easier said than done. Scott Stevens - Local business owner SPEND YOUR ST. PATRICK’S DAY AT BRAZZ ALL DAY $10 BREAKFAST | HAPPY HOUR 4-6PM NEWS FROM Discover Cromwell’s hidden gem By Marion Low, Cromwell & Districts Promotion Group Cromwell may have changed a lot in the past few decades, but there is still one place where you can catch a glimpse of what RS & IW .W SI.C.N life was like in times gone by. The Cromwell Heritage Precinct is home to historic buildings dating back as far as the 1860s gold rush. Most of these beautiful buildings now hold restaurants and FHC GL artisan businesses, while others are preserved as museums that IoiBkry’lo¢o£O¥¦au¥ are open to the public daily. N ©ªA¬®E° (2) $3.5·¸¹ Things to see and do Y»¼y½¾eÀ½f£sÃÄouÅÆÇeÈ Cromwell – Queenstown Highway (Gorge Store) 436 Kawarau Gorge Road 1. Find your next favourite piece The Cromwell Heritage Precinct is an artists’ hub with many plying their craft on-site. There are fi ve spaces in which you will discover unique and beautiful pieces from a wide range of disciplines including glass fusing, sculpture, painting, ceramics, photography, printmaking, jewellery, knitting, and mixed media. 2. Have a meal Glass artists Ola & Marie Höglund The three restaurants nestled in the Precinct offer delicious food welcome you to their home studio gallery and beverages throughout the day. Whether you are after a quick snack or a hearty meal, you are sure to fi nd something to BLOWN GLASS JEWELLERY ART WORK tempt your tastebuds. Visitors welcome 10 - 5 daily 1767 Luggate - Cromwell Road (State Highway 6 between Wanaka and Cromwell) 3. Browse a bit Phone 03 442 7210 www.hoglundartglass.com Beautiful and bespoke – this is how visitors describe the goods on offer in the Cromwell Heritage Precinct. The wide selection of carefully curated homeware, glassware, linen, natural oils, clothes, chocolates, and more is ever-changing, so there is always something new to discover. In addition to the three permanent shops, you can also take a walk through the Cromwell Farmers’ and Craft Market every Sunday morning between Labour Weekend and Easter for the best in local produce and locally made goods. Helpful Advice Quick Service Quality Result We also stock an affordable range of giftware, framed prints & baby gear 25 The Mall, Cromwell • Phone 03 445 4595 [email protected] LAKES WEEKLY BULLETIN Page 3 Rentals by Rent me 2 Bedrooms ed s re rnton 2 rnsed ons od eenston rnsed 29 Lomond Crescent eenston 2 rnsed rn re eenston nrnsed 3 Bedrooms 2 tert treet rnton 2 rnsed rt errce ern 9 nrnsed emore treet Le es 2 tere ens ce rtrs ont 2 ton ensmn od eenston 2 2 rnsed enns ce rroton 9 2 nrnsed 29 dede treet eenston 2 rnsed Le ene rnton 2 rnsed C s or c n 9 Lee e treet d ccess o 37 Shotoer t eenston rentseenstonrcortscon www.queenstownrentals.harcourts.co.nz News Round Up A weekly summary of major local news stories by Paul Taylor Queenstown prepares for coronavirus US Study Trip postponed Ladies Mile masterplan Rhino’s takes a hit economic catastrophe A $30k two-week trip to the US for Queenstown’s mayor and Queenstown councillors last Thursday rolled the dice on a $1.4 Queenstown bar Rhino’s Ski Shack has been ordered to close its council boss, which included a visit to a futuristic transport million masterplan process for communities east of the Shotover for 48 hours after serving an underage teen who later assaulted As the world introduces war time measures to fight the spread company, has been postponed due to the coronavirus. River. someone. of caronavirus, Queenstown is bracing itself for major social and economic impacts. Jim Boult and council CEO Mike Theelen hoped to visit San Its goal is to unlock land on both sides of Ladies Mile, from the The downtown basement bar, between The Mall and Cow Lane, Francisco, South Tahoe City, Denver, Aspen, Portland in the US, Shotover Bridge to Lake Hayes, for potentially more than 1000 shut last Wednesday and Thursday, March 18 and 19. From 1am on Monday morning all travelers will have to self- and Canadian ski resorts Banff and Whistler this May. homes, community facilities for everyone in the area, a primary isolate for 14 days on their arrival into New Zealand. school and possibly a new Queenstown high school. The 17-year-old boy assaulted someone on Cow Lane on Friday, They were due to seek approval from councillors on Thursday for November 29, last year. This will effectively end international tourism to the region for the study trip, which aimed to investigate solutions to the resort’s Crucially, it also aims to revolutionise the transport options for the foreseeable future- leading to job losses and uncertainty for housing affordability, transport and other issues. new residents, existing residents in Shotover Country and Lake The bar opens 8pm to 3am. thousands of families reliant on the tourism industry, Hayes Estate, and those who use the super busy road as a way But at Thursday’s council meeting, Boult said due to the virus into Frankton and Queenstown itself. Queenstown Sergeant Christopher Brooks applied to the New The strict measures, the toughest in the world were announced Zealand Alcohol Regulatory and Licensing Authority for the yesterday by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and will be reviewed outbreak it made sense to postpone. Councillors last year rejected applications from landowners to suspension following the incident. at the end of March. create three special housing areas in Ladies Mile, totalling 514 Future Bars, which owns Rhino’s, did not dispute the grounds and Queenstown Chamber of Commerce boss Anna Mickell told ’High level of engagement’ in airport impact homes, mainly due to its ongoing traffic problems, caused by the sheer volume of cars and the pinch-point of the Shotover River the suspension was issued by District Court Judge K D Kelly in Queenstown Media Group on Friday that business was already survey Wellington on February 21. responding to the drop off in tourism numbers. road bridge. Almost 4,500 people completed a survey on the impact of Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) also spent $13.8 Brooks, however, says despite the application, Future Bars is “I’ve spoken with the banks and they are already reporting a Queenstown and Wanaka Airports on the community.