Reaction from locals yesterday was mixed after the news broke that McDonald’s had been granted consent for an outlet in the lakeside hot spot.
The restaurant, which will have a drive-through and be open around the clock, has been given the go-ahead at Three Parks.
It was the fast-food giant’s second bid to open an outlet in the town.
Its first bid, in 2024, was knocked back after a proposal at Mt Iron Junction drew 366 submissions, of which 339 were opposed.
Among those in opposition was Willowridge Developments Ltd, which is also developing 100ha mixed-use precinct Three Parks.
The developer said the location was an issue, as the proposed restaurant’s "siting, design and mitigation" would have had a negative effect on the "outstanding" landscape values of the area.
Yesterday, Willowridge development manager Allan Dippie said he understood locals were pleased with the new location.
"Willowridge Developments have been pleased to work closely with McDonald’s to help plan and consent their Wanaka restaurant.
"It’s a high-quality, well-thought-out design and the location is the best possible for both McDonald’s and the community and the restaurant complies with all the underlying zone rules.
"The feedback we have had is very positive in terms of the location and we look forward to welcoming McDonald’s to Three Parks along with several other new businesses, including food outlets, that are currently being planned," Mr Dippie said.
The second application proceeded on a non-notified basis.
Queenstown Lakes deputy mayor Quentin Smith said there was very little reason why the council could withhold consent.
"We can’t pick winners in terms of which ones we choose to accept or reject as council.
"It was commercial activity in a zone that provides for commercial activity, so it really does comply with the purpose of the zone from a land use and planning perspective," he said.
However, he had sympathy for people’s opposition to it, Mr Smith said.
"I think McDonald’s generates an enormous amount of litter and that’s quite evident in other places.
"When you travel around McDonald’s, there’s always McDonald’s litter — I’ve got a lot of sympathy for that. Unfortunately, there isn’t much scope for us to control that," he said.
McDonald’s New Zealand head of impact and communications Simon Kenny said he did not want to enter into a debate with Mr Smith in the media, but managing rubbish was covered in the consent process.
"We have no further comment at this stage," he said
Plastic Free Wanaka and Wastebusters representative Sophie Ward said the groups would approach McDonald’s and voice their concerns about waste.
"We want to see if they could introduce reusable packaging options.
"Coming from a waste perspective we have a real concern for single-use packaging," she said.
One Wanaka resident who did not want to be named said she would not be buying McDonald’s products but had a nephew who had benefited from working in McDonald’s stores in Christchurch.
"I haven’t had McDonald’s in 40 years and I won’t be planning to have it anytime soon," she said.
"I used to go to the beaches in Auckland and there was always McDonald’s rubbish everywhere."
Resident Harley Stevenson said he thought McDonald’s would be great for the town.
"It should bring in some more jobs for the community.
"Everyone I know is stoked about it — if you don’t like it, nobody is forcing you to go there.
"Who doesn’t love a good feed of Maccas after a night out?" he said.
Julia Aspinall submitted against the restaurant being built at the original location at the entrance to Wanaka. She said the arrival of McDonald’s in Wanaka was inevitable.
Three Parks was the most appropriate site for the fast-food outlet, she said.
The consent decision noted there could be an indirect association of fast-food businesses with incidents of littering and the generation of food waste and packaging waste generally.
However, waste generation from the site would be addressed by a dedicated waste management area, located at the rear of the proposed building, from which waste collection would occur.
Additionally, bins would be located externally within the site, and internally within the proposed building, to encourage appropriate waste disposal.
"It is acknowledged that the nature of a McDonald’s restaurant and the associated drive-through activity create waste.
"However, the proposal includes appropriate on-site measures to manage this, and customers who remove waste off site are legally obligated to dispose of this appropriately, as is the case with any purchased food and packaging," the decision document said.
