Locals are not lovin' the idea of McDonald's in Wānaka, after a petition was created on activist website change.org to discourage the attempt to build a restaurant in the tourist town.
An application by McDonald’s New Zealand for a 445sqm restaurant is under review by the Queenstown Lakes District Council. The establishment will also have a drive-through and seating for 75 diners, with parking for 24 cars.
The restaurant would be located at 237 Wānaka-Luggate Highway, at the base of Mount Iron, in a new commercial development under construction at the intersection of State Highways 6 and 84.
Local resident Sarah Morrison doesn't think the fast food chain should open.
She created a petition with the "goal of preventing resource consent for a Wānaka McDonalds".
The petition states: "As a community that prizes itself on health, wellness, and its beautiful natural environment, McDonald's goes against all of our core community values.
"This international fast food giant responsible for mass distribution of unhealthy food to an increasingly obese population, and extensive food waste and pollution, does not belong in our beautiful home."
The petition, which has 1,800 signatures, also features comments from like-minded individuals.
"We don't need it, there are so many great local restaurants. It will create litter and it's the last thing I want to see from the summit of Mt Iron," said one individual.
Another signatory said: "Even without a McDonald's currently in Wānaka, their trash and pollution still makes it all the way from Queenstown, often found on the side of the road through the [Crown] Range and right onto Wānaka's lakefront.
"We don't need our people and our landscape poisoned by this fast food giant."
Simon Kenny, head of impact and communications at McDonald's, said that while locals of the town have spread rumours on the potential opening of McDonald's, thus far, there is no guarantee the store will open.
"As part of our ongoing new restaurant development plan, we’re always assessing potential sites. While there have been rumours about McDonald’s coming to Wānaka for some time, we’ve not previously had a site that we thought would meet our criteria, and would be appropriate for the town as it grows and new businesses open," Kenny told 1News.
"Working with a local developer we now have a site we think is suitable, and we’re commencing the formal council consent process. We’re committed to working through that process as required.”
Queenstown Lakes District Council deputy mayor Quentin Smith says that while everyone has their personal opinion, "from the councils' perspective, the council can't pick winners".
"Our role is to regulate the right location," saying that this decision could take a year or so.
He confirmed the company have agreed to a public notification and a hearing is likely in the future.
Smith said he has heard mixed feedback from locals, many of who aren't wanting the golden arches to come to the town for health reasons.
He said Wānaka prides itself on its "healthy lifestyle".
In 2002, a report made by the Wānaka Community Board, Council and other Council committees, to envision what the tourist town would be like in 2020, said there should be "no international fast food stores".
Currently, the only fast food chains in the area are Dominos and Subway.
In May 2022, a petition was made on the same site to bring a McDonald's to the lakefront town, which garnered 11 signatures.
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