Summit takes stock of sustainability moves Structure linked to console
WANAKA QUEENSTOWN
WANAKA’S singleuse cupfree initiative is proving hard for outoftowners to get a handle on.
That was the experience of Edgewater Resort digital and sustainability coordinator Kate Mitchell, who said guests often struggled with not being able to buy a takeaway coffee in Wanaka.
At a 2020 Reset Summit session she said the resort had begun emailing guests about the wastereduction initiative ahead of their arrival date.
‘‘We say we are so excited you are coming but here are a few things you are going to want to know before you get here,’’ Ms Mitchell said.
About 20 people attended the workshop, including representatives from University of Otago and Otago Polytechnic student residences, and Wanaka motels, hotels and shortterm rentals.
The session was run by Wanaka Wastebusters. Ms Mitchell had been a participant in the workshop last year and was invited back to talk about sustainability initiatives since introduced.
‘‘In our gift shop we used to have a lot of really cute Kiwi items, made in China . . . but we recognised that was not the correct market any more.
‘‘We looked closely around and found there were a lot of really great artists and crafts people within Central Otago that could be showcased, so when we have guests from other areas come in we get to show them something uniquely Wanaka they can take back or send to friends,’’ she said.
‘‘The local artisans handdeliver their goods so there is no shipping and there is not a lot of packaging, both of which has a significant impact on waste and our carbon footprint.’’
Wanaka Wastebusters will celebrate its 20th year of operation in November.
Communications manager Gina Dempster said that when it opened, it was told it was ‘‘too hippieish’’ and that it would not last 12 months.
Twenty years on, recycling was mainstream and more than 700 Wanaka businesses sent their recycling waste to Wanaka Wastebusters, she said.
A MYSTERIOUS temporary structure has been installed by a gaming console company on Queenstown’s waterfront.
Passersby stopped to watch scaffolders dressed in wetsuits build the steel structure yesterday, just beyond the pier for Hydro Attack and Million Dollar Cruise.
The Otago Daily Times understands it was part of a marketing campaign for the new Xbox console, and a spokesman for Xbox parent company Microsoft confirmed it was behind the structure.
However, he said further details were not available at this stage.
Xbox is due to launch the premium Xbox Series X and cheaper Xbox Series S consoles on November 10.
The X console has retailed for preorder at about $799 and is said by gaming experts to be the franchise’s most powerful product yet.
The smaller, less powerful version, called Series S, was retailing at $549 for preorder.
Xbox has not released an entirely new console since 2013, when it launched the Xbox One, and undersold compared with main industry rivals Playstation and Nintendo.
The Playstation 5 will be
released on November 12.