The district’s mayor says priorities should be elsewhere as a lobby group is to be set up across the Upper Clutha to help change the council’s name.
Upper Clutha Community Board member Chris Hadfield, along with locals Andrew Howard and Michael Sidey, have been on a mission to make the Queenstown Lakes District Council more inclusive, starting with the name.
Mr Hadfield said the name was not inclusive of the many towns that made up the district.
"Being under the name Queenstown Lakes District Council, the perception is that that’s what we are, and that our needs and wants are all the same," he said.
Suggestions such as the Southern Lakes or Alpine Lakes District Council were made by the board member, who felt the change could gradually come into effect.
Queenstown Lakes District Mayor Glyn Lewers said he saw the name change to be low on the list of priorities as the region faced numerous other issues including infrastructure updates and dealing with the regulatory reform happening with Three Waters.
"I appreciate their intent and their thought behind it, but it just hasn’t come to the top of my mind," he said.
"I don’t know if it’s on the top of the council’s mind at this point either."
He felt the district’s economy was still heavily reliant on tourism, and Queenstown was a significant drawcard.
"Queenstown is an international brand," he said.
With talks in central government about potentially reviewing regional councils across the country, the name change conversation might be best kept until it was clearer if any other changes were coming the district’s way, Mr Lewers said.
Resident Andrew Howard, who has been involved with a number of community organisations, said support for the name change had grown as locals grew tired of feeling misrepresented.
"A lot of it is perception, but that does lead to real consequences," he said.
"The district spans from Glenorchy to Kingston to Makarora, so it’s actually quite a diverse, wide-ranging district, but the perception is that it all sort of revolves around Queenstown."
Having received encouraging feedback, Mr Howard, with the support of Mr Hadfield, decided it was necessary to make a proactive start on attempting to change the name.
They are now seeking to form a lobby group with other locals, who can then express their support for a name change to the community board.
It will then be taken to the QLDC, which will need to formally request a name change through a proposal to Land Information New Zealand.
