The organisation, which was facing an uncertain future due to declining membership, would from now on only focus on beautification and amenity projects, members decided at its annual meeting in Wanaka on Wednesday night.
New president Roger Gardiner said members voted not to wind up the association, but instead to narrow its scope and focus in the hope of attracting new members.
"Wanaka Residents’ Association grew out of the Wanaka Improvements Society and over the years we grew to be all things to everyone but we just don’t have the skills set anymore to make meaningful submissions to council on complex resource consent issues," Mr Gardiner said.
"There are now other ways for residents to voice their concerns to the Queenstown Lakes District Council, such as their drop-in sessions or Wanaka Community Board meetings, so the Wanaka Residents’ Association will return to its roots and to what it has traditionally done best, which is projects."
About 18 members attended the meeting in the St John Ambulance rooms in Link Way on Wednesday. They voted to adopt the further restoration of the Bullock Creek wetlands in association with Fish and Game, the council and the Te Kakano Native Trust as their cornerstone project for the next two years.
Some of the projects undertaken by the Wanaka Residents’ Association over the years included the Roys Bay pontoon, seats on Mt Iron, wooden and stone seats around the town, community Christmas tree, CCTV in the CBD and the lychgate at the Wanaka cemetery.
Wanaka Community Board deputy chairman Quentin Smith said it was normal for a residents’ association to evolve and change over time.
The group’s refocusing was completely understandable in the context of the growing community.
