Group takes break after 37 years

A 37-year mission to protect and preserve Wakatipu's unique character and environment has ground to a halt, with the Wakatipu Environmental Society Inc (Wesi) announcing it will take a break.

The society has been struggling to keep up with legal bills and court-ordered costs since it took on Arrowtown businessman Gary Mullings in a doomed bid to save the old Emporium building last year.

Despite an offer by Mr Mullings to waive an outstanding $4000 court-ordered debt, Wesi spokeswoman Karen Swaine told the Queenstown Times a motion had been drafted to put the society into liquidation.

However, the decision was made to suspend the society for two years instead.

"We won't be undertaking any new business, and we are withdrawing from two submissions we have in at the moment," she said.

Ms Swaine, the group's spokeswoman for several years, has also stepped down from that role.

"It will give others with fresh ideas and new perspectives opportunities," she said.

While Ms Swaine is looking forward to taking a "holiday" from the pressures of submitting, fielding calls from council, the media and developer's lawyers, she said the fact the group was dormant did not stop people from participating in the future of the district, and she will still keep an eye on what is happening.

"I'm still me; my existence doesn't end with Wesi," she said.

"Wesi is just an entity.

"There is nothing to stop individual people from making submissions."

However, she hoped Wesi would survive and return to its watchdog role for Wakatipu in the course of time.

"It does have a 37-year history, but more importantly, [it is about] the issues we addressed over the that time," she said.

"Looking back, it [Wesi] is pretty amazing."