Cr Wilson raised concerns about the Ministry of Education's forward planning during a debate on Wanaka's planned Three Parks development at yesterday's QLDC strategy committee meeting in Queenstown.
With the town's population projected to double "easily" by 2016 - encouraged by developments like Three Parks - forward planning was essential to ensure the town's educational needs were future-proofed, he believed.
However, the selection of a small lakefront site for the $8.8 million Frankton Primary School in Queenstown showed the Ministry was "not actually taking action themselves" when it came to forward planning, he believed.
The selection of the Lake Ave site has been criticised because it meant a reduced roll, ensuring a second new school would have to be built in Queenstown in a decade.
With Wanaka's projected growth, the ministry's plan to open a new - and larger - Wanaka Primary School was not enough, he believed.
It was likely to be full within five years, and no site had been identified for the town's next school.
It was important the Ministry was given a "heads up" now about the need for more education planning, he believed.
In March, the Ministry's Southern Regional manager, Michael De'Ath, rejected criticisms the ministry had been slow to react to growth in the area.
"Central Otago has recently seen an economic boom that is unmatched anywhere in New Zealand at present... And with it, demand goes on to essential services including schools.
"We have had accurate data on the boom in school-age populations since the 1996 census and have been planning accordingly, refining predictions as updated data becomes available."
Figures from Queenstown Lakes District Council predicted Queenstown's population would double by 2016, rising from 24,100 in 2006 to 48,575 in 2016.
Statistics New Zealand predicted the increase would be to 30,500 by 2016.
Councillors at yesterday's committee meeting voted to adopt a Three Parks discussion document outlining the vision for the development, which would go out for public consultation until mid-June.
The Three Parks plan change would eventually pave the way for a secondary retail precinct developed by Willowridge Developments Ltd, catering for big-box retailers.
