Destination Queenstown CEO steps down

The resignation of Destination Queenstown chief executive officer David Kennedy came as a surprise to last night's DQ annual meeting.

DQ interim board chairwoman Erna Spijkerbosch said Mr Kennedy was stepping down after almost 10 years as CEO.

"The good news is that he is not leaving Queenstown," she said.

Mr Kennedy will become Ngai Tahu Tourism regional general manager for Southern Lakes in November.

Although he was leaving "the best job in New Zealand", Mr Kennedy said it was an opportunity to move his career on.

He said Queenstown's strength was that local businesses "understand that collectively we are stronger".

"Maybe I've had a bit to do with that," he said, urging businesses to keep working together.

Mrs Spijkerbosch paid tribute to Mr Kennedy's contribution, saying he had "led Queenstown's marketing team through many challenging times and through a period of massive growth".

That position is likely to be tested, with both Mr Kennedy and last night's guest speaker, Clutha-Southland MP Bill English, warning of challenging times ahead because of the deepening United States financial crisis.

He praised Queenstown's "substantial commitment" to helping itself, evidenced by an extra $1 million to target Australian visitors raised through the resort's commercial levy.

The DQ board will elect a new chairman and decide a process for employing a new CEO tomorrow and marketing general manager Graham Budd will manage the organisation in the meantime.