Wastebusters and Plastic Free Wānaka are making a joint submission on the resource consent application for a 445sqm McDonald’s restaurant and drive-through located just off the Mount Iron roundabout.
We are proud of the vibrant reuse community in our district, and if McDonald’s wants to be part of Wānaka, they need to join our reuse culture, rather than bringing their litter to town. Here our key points – feel free to use them in your own submission.
We oppose the resource consent on these points:
We oppose the location of the McDonald’s due to the adverse visual impact the restaurant will have at the entrance of Wānaka.
We oppose the waste to landfill and litter created by McDonald’s reliance on single-use, throwaway packaging. This approach does not align with our community’s core values of environmental protection and zero waste, as outlined in the DMP which is endorsed by LWT, DQ, QLDC and will be a step backwards towards achieving the goals of zero waste and zero pollution as outlined in the plan.
It also does not align with goal 2 of the QLDC Waste Management and Minimisation Plan to reduce harmful effects of waste, or with the Vision Beyond 2050 community outcome “Zero carbon communities” which includes the objective “Zero waste is just something that we do here”.
We request as part of the consideration of the Resource Consent that McDonald’s should be required to work with council and community representatives on a Waste Minimisation plan to help them align with our zero waste values.
The reasons for our submission are:
The visual effects, amenity effects, effects on landscape values and cumulative effects of the development proposed in this sensitive location are likely to be significant and adverse. The proposed site is extremely prominent being at the entrance to Wānaka and part of a significant landscape that includes Mount Iron. It is not consistent with the objectives of the community to locate a commercial activity in this area. We do not believe the proposed planting and mounding by McDonald’s will be enough to meaningfully mitigate adverse effects of the building, lighting, signage and car parking.
In this year’s national litter audit, conducted by Keep New Zealand Beautiful, McDonald’s was identified as the county’s “most-littered takeout”, accounting for 56.5% of all branded throwaway drink containers and packaging found littered across New Zealand.
At the heart of Wānaka’s shared values is protection of our natural environment. This includes guardianship of our outstanding natural landscape, protection of our alpine waterways and transitioning to a circular economy, and is recognised in the Council’s strategic documents including the Vision Beyond 2050, the Destination Management Plan and the Waste Management and Minimisation Plan.
The Queenstown Lakes District Council has declared a climate and ecological emergency and a McDonalds in Wānaka will not contribute to the goals and solutions proposed in the Climate and Biodiversity plan. Specifically this is in conflict with the QLDC’s commitment to zero waste.
Thanks to flax roots campaigns from social enterprises like Wastebusters and Plastic Free Wānaka, using reuse and refill systems is a common behaviour in Wānaka, and we are recognised as leading the transition to reuse nationally. As part of the SUCfree Wānaka campaign, the community is already on a mission to become the first single-use cup free town in Aotearoa. 12 cafes in Wānaka are already 100% SUCfree, with 19 others offering reusable cup lending schemes or mug libraries.
If McDonalds does not intend to become involved in this initiative, it would seriously undermine the work that has already gone into the five-year long campaign. QLDC has also invested into this initiative.
Our submission would be met by QLDC making the following decision:
Declining the Resource Consent at the proposed site.
Ensuring that any future Resource Consent applications are sympathetic to the landscape and values of Wānaka, especially in terms of signage and colour use. Reference landscape protection in planning rules
Only considering applications for a site located within an area zoned for commercial activity e.g. Three Parks
If a more appropriate site is found then we request that the following conditions are in place:
Stipulating reusable tableware for all dine-in customers.
Ensuring systems are in place for customers to easily bring their own cups and containers for takeaway and drive thru services.
McDonald’s takes full responsibility for the litter created from their packaging – beyond the boundary of their site.
Submissions are open until August 9, through QLDC’s website.
