The Queenstown Chamber of Commerce wants $40,000 from the Queenstown Lakes District Council to set up an "economic future agency" to help the district's economic development.
In a submission to the council's draft annual plan, chamber chief executive Ann Lockhart said the district needed to draw its activities into an integrated, comprehensive "future plan".
She said the district's economy would significantly benefit by having an economic future agency encompassing the public, quasi-public and private sectors.
The agency would be governed by a board drawn from key sector organisations in the district, including local government, the chamber and independent expert directors.
A major role of the agency would be to assist with the district's economic development.
It would help sustainably increase living standards, income, education and health and the environment.
"There are substantial benefits in further growing the economy, not only through the district's major sectors - tourism and construction - but also through emerging and new industries."
"In particular, the chamber considers it is important for the district to deliver a much larger economic base from which to derive increased local government revenue to avoid the need for unsustainable percentage rates burdens on people and entities."
The agency could support businesses, attract and encourage new business and industries and promote sustainable economic growth.
It would also write a regional economic development strategy.
"The first step ... is to develop a dynamic economic futures model for the district based on broadly sourced, quality demographic and economic data ... to understand the implications of new developments, policy changes, major events, economic trends and market shifts," she said.
The chamber was consulting Queenstown stakeholders to secure seed funding but also needed input from the council.
"It is the chamber's expectation that with the support of QLDC, leveraged by private funding from commercial partners and/or charitable trusts, an agency could be operational by the end of 2010," she said.
The chamber wants the council to budget $40,000 in the annual plan, which would be matched by private businesses and trust funding.
"The chamber considers it is reasonable and highly desirable that the QLDC invest in the future integrated economic development of the district," she said.
By 2026, Queenstown would have about 4 million visitors a year and the airport would handle about 1.8 million people.
Queenstown would |need to build 30 200-unit accommodation complexes and the QLDC would need to spend almost $1 billion on infrastructure.
"The 21st century will be a period of extremely rapid change. It will be a time of wide-ranging problems yet also of extraordinary opportunities.
"In an increasingly competitive world the most successful resort communities will be those who can prioritise actions and expenditures to leverage competitive advantages."
"Doing so will enable them to create sustainable economic success stories."
About 300 submissions were received on the draft annual plan.
A public hearing will take place on June 2 and 3.
