Arrowtowner Nell Hunter, who started The Bitcoin Basin initiative to make Queenstown a Bitcoin-friendly town, opened the presentation.
She highlighted the rapid growth of Queenstown’s Bitcoin circular economy, with 25-plus local businesses now accepting Bitcoin and more preparing to onboard.
"The goal of the evening was simple — to show MPs Bitcoin is no longer fringe," she says.
"It’s growing globally and Queenstown is already part of it — New Zealand must not be left behind."
Hunter’s just back from the Bitcoin 2025 Conference in Las Vegas, at which speakers included United States vice-president JD Vance and prominent Reform UK leader Nigel Farage.
NZ MPs also heard from Queenstown’s Rob Clarkson, co-founder of NZ’s Bitcoin-only exchange, Lightning Pay.
Hunter says "he gave a presentation about the current monetary system and spoke about the role of Bitcoin in empowering businesses, supporting financial independence and strengthening our energy infrastructure".
"To demonstrate this, the team brought in a Bitcoin miner, showcasing how renewable hydro power in the Southern Lakes is already being used to mine Bitcoin — supporting both tech sector jobs and grid stability."
Hunter thinks it was a bit of a novel experience for parliamentary security staff to be screening a Bitcoin miner, who verifies Bitcoin transactions.
She says Clarkson also addressed regulatory barriers, including the need to treat Bitcoin as a currency and not only as a commodity.
She adds the National, Act and NZ First MPs, including Associate Minister of Justice Nicole McKee and local Act MP Todd Stephenson, were "so receptive".
"They just stuck around for ages, asking questions."
