Love it or loathe it, one of the world’s largest restaurant chains officially has plans to open in Wānaka.
In mid-November, McDonald’s Restaurants (NZ) Limited submitted a resource consent application for a 445sq m restaurant and drive-through to go on the corner of State Highways 6 and 84, next to the soon-to-be-completed Mt Iron roundabout and part of the planned Mt Iron Junction development.
Resource consent documents submitted by the company confirm that the "restaurant and drive-through" would operate on a 24 hours a day, seven days a week basis.
Mount Iron Junction Ltd co-owner Steve Schikker said they had been approached by McDonald’s about the potential site "earlier this year".
"Obviously McDonald’s works on some sort of business model that when a town or area gets to a certain level that it has an interest."
He said McDonald’s plans would not impact Mt Iron Junction Ltd’s existing, consented plans for the development, which include a Caltex service station and a 90-bed workers’ accommodation village.
While the restaurant would not be the first international chain to stake its claim in Wānaka, the prospect of the golden arches appearing at the foot of Mt Iron was too much for some locals to bear.
A week later, the petition had received more than 4500 signatures.
Organiser Sarah Morrison said she created the petition as she believed the global restaurant brand did not fit with "Wānaka’s values".
"So far I’ve had a lot of messages and comments expressing a general dissatisfaction and disappointment with the idea of a McDonald’s being opened in Wānaka."
She said one of the main points raised by those contacting her was a concern about the added impact of waste on an area "known for its environmental beauty".
Ms Morrison said she had also heard from small businesses who were worried about the impact McDonald’s would have on their efforts to provide "quality food and employing locals with actually decent hours and pay rates".
"I’ve already been contacted by a few different coffee shops and food carts around Wānaka who have expressed gratitude towards a petition against it and wanted to get on board with having the community voice heard."
Ms Morrison said she planned to eventually present the petition to the Queenstown Lakes District Council, and will work with the community by providing submission templates when the resource consent is publicly notified.
Mr Schikker said everyone was entitled to their opinion, but he hoped those opposed to a McDonald’s also considered the potential benefits it could bring.
"Apart from supermarkets, they’re a very high employer of youth in New Zealand.
"They contribute back to society through Ronald McDonald House and a lot of sponsorship — that could be regional, like rugby teams, that sort of stuff."
On the question of litter, he said while it was easy to point the finger at an iconic brand like McDonald’s, such concerns were symptomatic of a much larger issue.
"I mean that’s a societal problem. It’s not McDonald’s that throws the wrappers out the window, it’s society that does."
He said he understood people’s resistance to change, but emphasised that Wānaka was "not the little mountain town" it once was.
"And there are benefits to that. There’s benefits to education — we’ve got a fantastic school here, there’s no need to really send your kids away. There’s good infrastructure, there’s good medical facilities.
"You get more facilities a lot of these detractors are probably making good use of."
McDonald’s Restaurant NZ spokesman Simon Kenny said the company was "always assessing potential sites" as part of their ongoing new restaurant development plan.
"While there have been rumours about McDonald’s coming to Wānaka for some time, we’ve not previously had a site that we thought would meet our criteria.
"Working with a local developer, we now have a site we think is suitable, and we’re commencing the formal council consent process."
No timeframe for the restaurant’s consent process has yet been given. Mr Kenny said McDonald’s was "committed to working through that process as required".
