Queenstown’s council is scheduled to vote on March 19 on what’s expected to be a continuation of the 12-month ban imposed on the stallholders last April.
It comes in spite of repeated calls by the Queenstown Lakes District Street Food Vendors Society, and its chairwoman Danna Burton, for talks on a collaborative approach to how the stallholders should be regulated.
A council spokesman confirmed yesterday there are no plans for staff to meet with representatives of the society before the March 19 meeting.
Meanwhile, a one-day hearing is scheduled for the High Court in Invercargill on April 16 to consider the society’s legal challenge of the council’s Activities in Public Places Bylaw 2023.
The society applied for a judicial review of the bylaw in August, arguing it was adopted without lawful consultation.
Last April, councillors decided to impose a one-year moratorium on the issuing of new permits for stallholders anywhere in the town centre. It means permit holders, who’re mainly food sellers, have had to stop operating when their permits expire.
Burton tells Mountain Scene a ‘‘workable, enforceable framework’’ for regulating the activity is achievable if the council was willing to engage with the society.
Its members are open to meeting councillors ahead of the March 19 vote, she says.
The society’s been gathering feedback from locals and tourists through a survey, to better understand how street food and craft vendors contribute to the ‘‘Queenstown experience’’.
‘‘We believe the public voice is important in this discussion.
‘‘Vendors add atmosphere, diversity, and accessibility to the town centre.’’
