A lease granted by the previous Queenstown Lakes District Council to the Frankton Zoological Gardens has been halved by the present council. Daphne, Penelope and Rachel Young have held the lease of the 0.55ha Frankton gardens since April 1, 1983. That lease expired on March 31, 2016 and, subsequently, the Young family sought a new lease on similar terms and with similar conditions. The hearings panel, former QLDC councillors Mel Gazzard and Merv Aoake, recommended the council grant a new lease for a five-year term. The council voted to grant the five-year lease, ''from now'', on the agreed conditions.

Source: Otago Daily Times December 18, 2017 14:48 UTC