5.30pm Update from QLDC regarding state of emergency in Queenstown

Queenstown Lakes District Council officials have been working closely with geotechnical engineers to determine a safe approach to clearing debris on Upper Brecon Street.

The situation has evolved over the course of the day. The team is continuing to evaluate weather forecast and expert advice to recommend an appropriate approach to allowing affected businesses at the top of Brecon Street to reopen safely.

The current cordon at the intersection of Brecon and Isle Street will remain in place overnight for safety reasons.

Emergency Operations Centre Controller, and Community Services General Manager, Ken Bailey recognized that many people in our community will be concerned about potential damage to their loved ones’ graves in Queenstown Cemetery after the recent weather event.

“Parts of the cemetery have been affected by slips caused by heavy rain since yesterday. There is currently no public access for safety reasons while inspections continue. The emergency management and QLDC Parks and Reserves teams are liaising closely with religious groups and iwi,” he said.

“We appreciate the distress this is likely to be causing to those friends and family members affected and we will provide further updates to the community as soon as we possibly can.”

Next steps for Saturday are expected to involve clearing debris from one side of Brecon Street (adjacent to Kingpin and neighbouring businesses) to provide safe pedestrian access to businesses.   The other side of the road will be cordoned off while we work to further assess and safely clear the area.   A barrier will be in place to maintain pedestrian safety.  

This approach relies on continued dry conditions, as forecast over the coming days.   In the case of further heavy rain, the cordon at Isle/Brecon Street intersection will be reinstated.

In relation to flooding at the Reavers Lane area, good progress has been made to divert water to a manhole, but further work is required to clear a blocked culvert at the base of the catchment.

Council staff contacted remaining affected properties directly.  Access to all remaining properties has been reinstated.

This is the final update of the evening and the next will be sent out in the morning of Saturday 23 September.

ENDS|KUA MUTU.

For media queries contact: communications@qldc.govt.nz or call 03 441 1802.

Further Information

FURTHER INFORMATION | Kā pāroko tāpiri:

All relevant media information can be found at https://www.qldc.govt.nz/weather-event-sep23.

• Frankton Track is to remain closed until further notice

• Lake level monitoring: https://envdata.orc.govt.nz/AQWebPortal/Data/Map/Parameter/Lake%20Level/Interval/Latest

• All updates are available at https://www.qldc.govt.nz/community/emergency-management/weather-event-september-2023

• As a reminder, a boil water notice remains in place for all properties serviced by the Council’s Queenstown supply including Frankton, Quail Rise and Tucker Beach Rd, Kelvin Heights and Hanley’s Farm.  Further details here:  https://www.qldc.govt.nz/community/emergency-management/cryptosporidium-outbreak-advice-and-information

• Ben Lomond Reserve to close as a precaution

  • We ask that recreational users avoid the site until further notice.

  • We appreciate the community’s ongoing support as we work through the challenging situation.

• Evacuation Centre

  • Earlier we mistakenly communicated that St Peters Church was an active evacuation centre. There was a need early in the day for an evacuation centre but all affected people had been successfully moved to accommodation. If an evacuation centre is required at a later time, further communication will be shared.