Wanaka has the opportunity to prepare for the future and avoid the issues which plague its bigger neighbour.
That is one of the key themes in the Upper Clutha Transport Report prepared by the Shaping Our Future steering group.
Seven recommendations covering the future of Upper Clutha's land, air and water transport have been made in the report
A public forum will be held tonight at the Lake Wanaka Centre from 6.30 to allow for feedback on the report.
Shaping Our Future executive Anita Golden said transport infrastructure had long been an issue in Queenstown and it was now becoming an issue for Wanaka.
''When we first held a forum in Wanaka in 2015 I don't think there was as much urgency around addressing some of the issues, because the town was still seen to be coping pretty well.''
The report had been prepared by volunteers who all worked and lived in the community, Ms Golden said.
As tourism had grown and the town had expanded, people realised the importance of having plans in place to cope with the expected growth.
''In the nicest possible way, people in Wanaka don't want to end up with the same issues Queenstown is facing, and one way to make sure it doesn't follow the same path is to prepare and plan now for the future.''
Recommendations in the report included developing Wanaka Airport into a centre for aviation excellence and supporting the single transport entity proposed by the Queenstown Transport Report from last year.
Feedback from the forum would be added to the report before it was given to the relevant authorities, such as the Queenstown Lakes District and the Otago Regional councils and the NZ Transport Agency.
''I'm hoping we get a good crowd for the forum because the more people we have contributing to the report the more legitimacy it has when we present it,'' Ms Golden said.
