A new resort development near Wānaka Airport is set to include two 18-hole golf courses, a driving range, a hospitality precinct, hotel accommodations, and additional visitor facilities, according to Tom Elworthy, director of the developer Corbridge. The resort is planned on land along Wānaka-Luggate Highway (State Highway 6), approximately 10 minutes from Wānaka town center.
Corbridge intends to submit a consent application to the Queenstown Lakes District Council in the coming weeks. The land, previously used as a wedding and events venue, has been discussed for golf course development by prior owners for around two decades. Elworthy emphasized that the site’s natural contours require minimal earthworks, with housing sites carefully positioned to reduce visibility from the highway.
The development is being designed as a true resort rather than a typical subdivision. Elworthy noted that resort facilities must be well established before any residential properties can be sold. He added that community responses to the proposal have been broadly positive, with no significant objections reported so far.
A detailed plan provided by Corbridge outlines several features including a clubhouse precinct, about 240 visitor accommodation units including a hotel, and a landscape protection zone surrounding an artificial lake at the core of the site. The plan also includes workers’ accommodation, a public driving range, a hospitality area, a 9-hole par-3 course, two full 18-hole golf courses, and a public walking trail.
Elworthy noted that the development site was previously earmarked for the now-abandoned Silverlight Film studio project. In preparing the current proposal, the Corbridge group has engaged with local community organizations, such as residents of Mount Barker and Luggate, Forest & Bird, the Chamber of Commerce, and the Upper Clutha Tracks Trust, and has invited wider public input.
Public access considerations include a walking track connecting to the Clutha River cycleway. Elworthy highlighted the anticipated benefits for the region, including enhanced golf facilities and expanded visitor accommodation options that correspond with growing tourist demand in the Wānaka area.
The development is backed by a team of advisers and consultants experienced in the Southern Lakes region. If council consent is granted, Elworthy expects the project will take six to eight years to complete.
Tom Elworthy brings substantial industry experience to the project. He is a former owner of the Southern Hemisphere Proving Grounds in Cardrona and currently serves as a director of the Whakapapa skifield on Mount Ruapehu. According to the Whakapapa skifield’s website, he has 15 years of operational experience across multiple ski fields and over 21 years providing snowmaking and grooming equipment to the industry.