Some Wanaka residents are speaking out about the increasingly pricey town amid an influx of tourists. "It ended up we were just working to live week to week and then we were using a credit card to live week to week after that, because it was becoming that we weren't being to able to pay certain bills when they'd pop up." "I don't know whether that's just Wanaka or what it is, but the prices of just fresh fruit and stuff ... you can't sustainably live there and feed your family properly and pay your bills." The organisation's team leader, Stewart Hawkins, said some Wanaka residents would never get their heads above water financially. Vicki McDermott said the growing population and influx of tourists were exacerbating the situation for Wanaka residents who were less wealthy.

Source: Otago Daily Times September 05, 2018 05:48 UTC