The government department has committed to create a ‘‘one-off scenario’’ factoring in actual growth in Queenstown-Lakes. Patterson called out the woefully-lacking population projections Stats NZ has historically published for the Queenstown-Lakes area — for example, in 2012, the department projected the district’s population would be 47,200 in 2031. Patterson projects, if current growth patterns continue, by 2031 it’ll be home to at least 69,500 people. That’s 22,000 more than Stats NZ expected. ‘‘And not just slightly wrong, but wrong by an order of magnitude of 50%.

Source: Otago Daily Times March 13, 2026 21:03 UTC