Now in its third year, the three-day Electrify Queenstown event officially powered up yesterday.
Coinciding with the conference, Whoosh and Southern Infrastructure Ltd (SIL) both provided updates.
The former announced it was now being backed by a consortium of Queenstown business leaders who were undertaking a feasibility study and “consenting pathway" for the staged network of autonomous electric vehicles running on cables and rails around Queenstown.
Meanwhile, SIL confirmed Naylor Love had been appointed to deliver the civil and building works on the Queenstown Airport to CBD line, while it was also planning about 1400 park-and-ride spaces around the proposed network.
During her opening comments yesterday, Electrify Queenstown MC and Heft director Victoria Crockford said last year she had asked the audience to think about “lightning in a bottle" and the huge opportunity available in Queenstown to lead the way with electrification.
“The thing about capturing lightning in a bottle is that you have to get the design of the bottle right if you ever hope to contain it."
While last year attendees were “quite joyous" and talking about opportunity, now they were “talking about power" — which technologies shaped global power and what it meant to be sovereign as a country, community and household over energy futures, she said.
“The question for me always is whether we’re building that future for everyone, or just those who can afford it."
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts said New Zealand was in a “renewable energy boom phase" at present — in the last quarter of 2025, the country hit a record 96% renewable electricity generation while emissions were the lowest recorded for the country since 2010.
“Renewable energy in this country is being scaled like it has never been before, and electrification is accelerating across our economy.
“The challenge for all of us is, how do we grasp that opportunity?
“That’s exactly why this forum, Electrify Queenstown, is so important.
“It connects the capability of the people in this room, it connects you with opportunity and it also helps us turn that ambition into delivery on the ground.
“Because actions are more important than talk."
The Whoosh consortium was also revealed at Electrify Queenstown.
It comprised NZSki, Remarkables Park, Skyline, Queenstown Airport, Technology Queenstown and Queenstown Resort College. Group spokesman Matthew Day said it had also “opened discussions" with SIL.
Congestion in the resort was affecting daily commutes, business productivity and the visitor experience and had “real costs" for local residents and the town’s reputation, he said.
“There is an urgent need to explore new approaches alongside traditional public transport options.’’
Meanwhile, SIL chief executive Ross Copland said in a statement planning was well advanced for park-and-ride facilities to service the proposed Queenstown Cable Car.
Land had been secured at Ladies Mile to accommodate at least 700 vehicles and it was supporting plans for a parking building on airport land, with capacity for about 300 vehicles.
SIL also revisited work done by the Queenstown Lakes District Council on a proposed $28 million Boundary Rd parking building, with capacity for 280 vehicles, put on hold due to cost, "to materially improve the economics of what was previously a very marginal project".
