Central Otago residents weigh in on what they want to see for region's growth

Central Otago is creating a strategy to shape its economic future with hopes it may ease the pressures from rapid growth.

A recent report suggested more growth was on the horizon with the population expected to climb from 26,000 last year to 37,000 by 2048.

The population had grown roughly two-and-a-half times faster than the national average over the last five years, and tourism was also on the rise.

Local mayor Tim Cadogan said growth was a good problem to have, but they were grappling with a housing shortage that was putting pressure on staffing and businesses.

Short term rentals were eating up a lot of the housing stock as were holiday homes.

"The biggest failure I've got as mayor has been housing and I think part of that failure was when I came in I thought it was going to be a hard problem to solve, whereas it may well be an impossible one," he said.

The council was considering a targeted rate for short-term rentals and was working through appeals on a plan change to assist housing density.

He wanted people to keep future generations in mind when they were submitting their priorities for the district.

"I think a lot of people fail to make mokopuna decisions. They think about today, they might think about tomorrow, but they're not thinking 30 years out. How's it going to affect their children and their children's children, and those are the thoughts that we really have to have as individuals when we're looking where we're heading," he said.

"Because if we're only thinking about today and have that myopic view of the world, we're not leaving a great place for the future."

Central Otago Fruit Growers Association chairperson Kris Robb said orchards were resorting to building their own worker accommodation because there was not enough housing.

He would like to see less red tape to make it easier to build housing with hopes the increased supply would make it more affordable for families to live here.

"Not only is the region trying to accommodate potentially 7000 extra seasonal staff, but an influx of holiday makers and campers. The accommodation is on aspect and then the infrastructure that goes with that," he said.

He is also the operations manager at Clyde Orchards, and said they were building a 20-bed complex for staff but the high compliance and regulation costs were hitting hard.

Ranfurly retailer Tania Murray Haigh wanted her town to become more of a destination with better streetscaping, activities for young people and more businesses.

"I would love to see a skatepark right in our main centre so they're really visible in the town cos youth is where it's really important. We need our youth engaged in our small town," Murray Haigh said.

Ranfurly gallery owner and photographer Janyne Fletcher wanted better business support.

"It would be brilliant if, especially in a smaller town, if there was a really great environment for people to own businesses, to grow businesses and to open new businesses."

Ranfurly resident Diane wanted more support rural towns.

"Just so we don't get forgotten because Alexandra gets everything. It's nice that they would remember a few or us out on the outer skirts," she said.

By 2048, close to a third of the population is predicted to be 65 and older.

Greypower Central Otago president Stan Randle was worried about the impact of rising rates on the ageing population.

"The actual cost of living here, that's the nub of the problem and people have to consider the direction in which they're going to head," he said.

Steve Goodlass owns tourism company SheBikesHeBikes and accommodation businesses around the district.

He wanted to make sure rural communities were well supported and got the infrastructure they needed, including better access to healthcare.

His daughter recently had acute appendicitis, and was told at nearby Dunstan Hospital she would need to go Dunedin Hospital for treatment - a 2.5 hour drive away.

"There's all that additional cost. There's the fact that the surgeon took longer because the fact that they couldn't get onto it earlier because of the fact that we actually don't even have that good imaging up here," Goodlass said.

While the population was ageing, he did not want young people to be left out.

"The other thing is providing pathways for our children so that they can continue to live in our region without having to move outside."

In Cromwell, healthcare was a priority for many - as was access to childcare and aged care.

"The area's growing so quick that something needs to happen with those main infrastructures before they release any land and subdivisions," one resident said.

The Central Otago District Council's economic development manager, Nick Lanham, wanted to hear from people across the district.

"It's really around those communities aspirations, right, so the strategy's about working out where we want to be and how we want to get there," Lanham said.

So far, residents were interested in water storage, revitalising the town centres, boosting rural connectivity and public transport, as well as businesses wanting to create smaller renewable energy projects, he said.

Consultation closes on Monday before a draft strategy is due to be tabled at a council meeting in December.