In December 2018, the Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) undertook a review of community facilities which identified that 50% of 189 groups would outgrow their facilities in the next five years.
In 2019, the Three Lakes Cultural Trust (TLCT) was established to support and encourage arts and culture in the Queenstown Lakes District in ways that enrich the quality of life of residents and contribute to the cultural, social and economic vitality and resilience of the district. They commissioned AEA Consulting, preeminent cultural strategists, to undertake an audit of QLDC cultural provisioning and built infrastructure and create a strategic cultural masterplan. Presented in February 2020, one of the key findings was the urgent need for a fit-for-purpose place to practice, rehearse and showcase creative activities.
The Te Atamira refit in Remarkables Park has created the facility to house arts and culture from the region.
We all know Queenstown Lakes has experienced phenomenal population growth over the past years. It stands to reason that community facilities also need to grow in order to accommodate this rapidly growing population. Te Atamira caters to more than 40 groups and organisations. It has two dance studios, two theatre spaces, a recording studio, multiple artist studios and music spaces, a pottery workshop, a workshop classroom, a curated art gallery, and a flexible youth focused space.
CLT recognises the need to respond to the region’s population growth and the importance of arts and culture to our region’s long term resilience. Arts and culture enrich people’s quality of life and contribute to the cultural, social and economic vitality of the district, something we need more than ever.
The number of people expected to benefit from the establishment of Te Atamira is estimated to be just over 2,500 people a week (350 people a day). It is anticipated this will be a diversified user group, including all ages and backgrounds, and a wide range of community groups and different arts and cultural disciplines. Users include groups providing lessons, workshops, exhibitions, students attending lessons, visitors in all the spaces and visitors attending events