Level 1 water restrictions are in effect for residents around Lake Hayes. Keep handheld hosing to a minimum, and only use sprinklers between midnight and 6.00am. Find out more information on restrictions.

Welcoming Communities

Te Waharoa ki kā Hapori

We are proud to be a part of Welcoming Communities | Te Waharoa ki ngā Hapori, a programme to support newcomers to feel welcome and able to participate in the economic, civic, cultural and social life of their new community.

We invite you to take a look at the Queenstown Lakes District Welcoming Plan 2024-2027 (PDF, 10MB).

Quick links

About Welcoming Communities

arrow_forward

Stages of accreditation

arrow_forward

Our Welcoming Plan

A successful Welcome Plan belongs to the community. Learn more about our progress to date.

Our Publications, News and Resources

The latest publications, news and resources for Welcoming Communities.

Welcoming Week

Welcoming Week is all about celebrating diversity and inclusion in our community.

Contact Welcoming Communities

If you have any questions or want to get involved, contact our Welcoming Communities team.

About Welcoming Communities

The Welcoming Communities programme aims to make the district more welcoming for everyone. It focuses on achieving a Standard of eight pillars which help benchmark what a welcoming and inclusive community looks like including:

8588893A9779cf9456298d089ccc426e524dc9a4

Why did we join Welcoming Communities?

Over many decades, Queenstown Lakes has welcomed waves of migrants from different parts of the world, as well as from all over Aotearoa New Zealand, producing diverse and vibrant local communities.

In recent years, the rapid growth of our district has changed the makeup of our communities. The traditional terms of local, visitor and worker are no longer sufficient, as there is far more diversity and richness in the whakapapa of our district.

We recognise the importance of celebrating the broad range of people who have chosen to make this special place their home. The Welcoming Communities programme helps Queenstown Lakes support equality and grow inclusive local communities so we can continue to evolve as a place that celebrates diversity, supports wellbeing and fosters economic growth.

The programme supports all newcomers - migrants and international students - to the district, including Kiwis and long-established migrants relocating to our district. Please note that newcomers also include former refugees, but our district is not a designated refugee resettlement location.

Stages of accreditation

We met the requirements to be accredited as an Established Welcoming Community in December 2024.

This is stage two of four accreditation levels within the Welcoming Communities programme which include – Committed, Established, Advanced and Excelling. In February 2022, we achieved stage one Committed Welcoming Community by signing a Statement of Commitment on Tuesday 2 November 2021.

Logo which says "an established welcoming community"

Why become accredited?

Accreditation as a Welcoming Community has a range of benefits, including:

  • showing community values and welcoming newcomers

  • helping to attract, support and retain newcomers

  • showing that council is part of an international welcoming network

  • providing councils with access to ongoing support, resources, knowledge sharing and networking in New Zealand and overseas

  • showcasing new and existing welcoming activities on a national and international stage

  • providing a way to assess and reflect on progress and to improve welcoming practices

  • celebrating success and a shared pride in positive outcomes for the community

  • fostering conversations in the community around valuing inclusion and diversity

Our Welcoming Plan demonstrates how we will meet the sub-outcomes as part of the Standard’s eight pillars. These pillars guide the programme and help determine what creates a welcoming community. To find out more about the Welcoming Communities Accreditation Model, visit Getting accredited as a Welcoming Community | Immigration New Zealand.