With a growing need for the services they provide on the horizon, staff at Queenstown's new Work and Income and Heartlands Service Centre will be better equipped to provide the best service possible from their new service centre in the Remarkables Park Town Centre.
The new space is likely to be the envy of every other office in the country, with views over the Remarkables range.
The centre was opened yesterday by deputy prime minister and Clutha Southland MP Bill English, who said it was important "the front line" be well catered for.
The staff were pleased with the spacious new office, commenting on the flow of fresh air and the floor-to-ceiling windows, which offer unobstructed views of the Remarkables mountain range beyond.
Winz regional commissioner for social development John Allen said the centre was "vanilla not decadent" but had a nice feeling after the previous offices.
He commended the staff who had led national Winz key performance indicators for the past 18 months.
"They are just very good at empathising with the clients - they are very good at what they do."
In the prevailing spirit of re-conciliation, he pointed out the move from the previous cramped space in central Queenstown had been actioned by the previous government - but he was "right behind" the new centre.
The need for the centre would increase in the "challenging times" ahead and "knee-jerk" cutbacks on public services would not form part of the Government's policies, he said.
While the Government would look for value for money, he said the National Government was committed to providing the level of services needed.
The Queenstown Work and Income and Heartlands Service Centre is located on the ground floor of Dart House in the Remarkables Park Town Centre (behind the BNZ).
