The fast food giant is seeking consent to open a 455sq m restaurant on the Wānaka-Luggate Highway, at the entrance to Wānaka, with a drive-through operating 24/7.
A three-day planning hearing assessing the proposal took place this week, but in a statement released today, Dr Shane Reti took exception to an eight-page submission by the southern arm of the NPHS.
"I have raised my ongoing concerns about the content of submissions like these with the chief executive of Health New Zealand.
"Content within the submission, including observations about planetary health, landscape values, traffic and Te Tiriti do not match my over-arching view of what the NPHS should be spending its time on."
Dr Reti said he found it "astonishing" that a submission from a health agency did not address the topics it might have been expected to.
"There was no mention in the document I have seen of healthy eating."
"As for the point that McDonald’s will ‘support the local economy by enabling employment and increased spending in the area’, we acknowledge that a new restaurant will create jobs, but we believe the majority of these will be low-paying and offer little security.
"There is no evidence that spending will increase in the region, but there is argument that a transnational business will be competing with Wānaka’s local businesses."
Dr Reti said he had advised the national director of the NPHS of his concerns about the submission’s content.
"I am pleased to hear that the national director of the NPHS has now undertaken to review all potential public submissions from his agency, whether at a national, local or regional level.
"Submissions will have to meet more stringent criteria than were used in the context of the proposed Wānaka McDonald’s document.
"They will need to be considered as having a reasonable chance of influencing a decision and the NPHS says submissions will only be made on issues of direct public health concern."
The three day resource consent hearing had attracted 366 submissions. More than 90% of them were against the fast food outlet.
The main issues were around the location of the site, the litter to be created from the business and the type of food sold.
McDonald's argued it has put in place more bins for the litter and it decided on the viability of restaurants solely on the area's population.
The council was against the proposal.
The panel is not expected to release a decision until the new year.
