While this is a slight dip from last year’s 76%, overall quality of life for residents across the district remains high. In fact, the proportion of people who say they have a sense of pride in the district has risen to 70%, the highest level recorded since 2020 and a strong increase from 63% in 2024.
Nineteen percent of residents report an improvement in their overall quality of life, citing factors such as better housing, general life improvements and stronger employment opportunities. However, 30% say their quality of life has decreased.
Queenstown Lakes District Mayor John Glover said, ‘‘It’s encouraging to see some improvements in the metrics around the issues that affect our communities but there are still big challenges to overcome. The council that was elected in October last year is firmly focused on enabling better outcomes.’’
The number of people who rent or own their own home remains relatively unchanged from previous years. The council continues to work closely with Queenstown Lakes Community Housing Trust and central government on mid-to-long term solutions outlined in the district Joint Housing Action Plan.
A growing number of residents report experiencing barriers to healthcare, while 35% say nothing prevents them from accessing care. Only 8% of residents feel there are sufficient mental health services in the district, despite 44% reporting that they or a family member accessed a mental health service in the past year.
Public transport shortfalls persist. Some residents report having access to well-used services, while others say there are only limited options or none at all. Use of alternative transport modes at least once a month has also declined.
Survey results are shared with other agencies including Te Whatu Ora and the Otago Regional Council to support their future planning and decision-making.
Concern about climate change has continued to decline over the past three years. Currently, 68% of residents are concerned about the impacts of climate change, and 72% are concerned about the health of our local biodiversity and natural environment. Since 2019, QLDC has been working with the community and partners to deliver meaningful climate and biodiversity action across the district and has just released its six-monthly 2025-2028 Climate and Biodiversity Progress Report.
The 2025 Quality of Life Survey received 1767 responses from residents and a further 330 from non-resident ratepayers. The survey no longer asks residents about their satisfaction with local services, facilities, activities or governance. These results will now come through the Community Insights Survey, due out next month.
HIGHLIGHTS
Housing
Sixty-five percent of residents own their home, while 18% rent a house and 12% rent a room.
Ten percent of residents experienced homelessness or accessed temporary or insecure accommodation in the last 12 months.
Eighty-one percent agree the home they live in suited the needs of everyone in their household.
Jobs and Income
Seventy-nine percent of residents are in some form of paid employment. Fifteen percent of residents work remotely for an employer outside the district. Seventy percent of residents have some or a sufficient level of disposable income, and 6% say they are unable to cover their expenses.
Health
Sixty-five percent of residents experience barriers to accessing healthcare services in the district.
Residents identified cost as the main barrier to healthcare, followed by rising wait times (11% in 2019 to 27% in 2025) and location (4% to 12%). A lack of trust in the advice provided and the cost of after-hours services were also noted as barriers.
Forty-four percent of residents either accessed mental health services themselves or had an immediate family member who had.
Transport
Nineteen percent of residents agree public transport meets the needs of residents.
Forty-three percent use a petrol or diesel vehicle less by using alternate transport modes, however those using alternate transport at least monthly has decreased for each type of transport — those cycling has decreased from 42% to 35%.
Twenty percent of residents car pool.
Neighbourhood
Seventy percent of residents are proud of the district — up from 63% in 2024. Sixty-two percent of residents said they would recommend the district to others. Ninety-three percent of residents feel their community is safe, and 65% agree their community is welcoming.
Environment
Sixty-eight percent of residents are concerned about the impacts of climate change. Seventy-two percent of residents are concerned about the health of local biodiversity and the natural environment. Eighty-eight percent are confident they place items in the right recycling bins — 23% say they know what happens to the recycling but 14% aren’t sure all recycled items actually get recycled.
