Mackenzie mayor meets with Chinese Consulate to discuss road safety, accommodation

Friday, 8 May 2026

Mackenzie District mayor Scott Aronsen, right, and Chinese Consulate General in Christchurch Madame He Ying, meet to discuss a range of issues ahead of the next large influx of visitors.

With the number of Chinese visitors to the Mackenzie District expected to increase, the council is working with the Chinese Consulate to tackle concerns about a range of issues, with road safety and accommodation top priorities.

Mackenzie District mayor Scott Aronsen and deputy mayor Rit Fisher met with the Chinese Consulate General in Christchurch, Madame He Ying, just before Easter to discuss tourism in the area.

“I can say without a doubt the number of Chinese coming here next season … will be substantial,” Aronsen said.

China Southern Airlines will start flying in five days a week from early November, then later moving up to seven days, he said.

The Mackenzie District is a tourism hotspot, attracting around 7000 visitors daily, with data showing more than 130 visitor overnight stays per resident last year.

Tourists taking photos along Lakeside Drive, Lake Tekapo, in January.

Aronsen said the community would need to learn to adapt to higher numbers of tourists.

“The consul made it very clear to me that people want to come to the Mackenzie and they love Tekapo … as a district we are going to have to learn to adapt … in how we accommodate them.”

Deputy mayor Rit Fisher said the length of time Chinese visitors stay was also expected to increase from one week to two weeks.

And before they arrived, both parties were keen to work out how they could help to mitigate concerns about a potential lack of accommodation and road safety.

Aronsen said the Consul noted that Chinese visitors were accustomed to driving on narrower lanes than those experienced on New Zealand roads.

One of two buses involved in crashes near Lake Pukaki on July 18, 2024.

A spokesperson for the Consul the two sides held in-depth discussions on ensuring the safety of Chinese tourists and deepening practical co-operation.

'[She] expressed special appreciation for their timely assistance and warm support during traffic accidents involving Chinese tourists,” the spokesperson said.

Further to that, in an update posted on the Christchurch Chinese Consulate website, Consul General He Ying thanked Aronsen for the district’s care following bus crashes in 2024 which involved dozens of Chinese tourists.

“[Aronsen] expressed his willingness to further develop friendly relations with China, strengthen communication and co-operation with the Consulate General in areas such as traffic safety,” it said.

The spokesperson said the Mackenzie was one of the most popular destinations for Chinese travellers visiting New Zealand, but accommodation concerns were emerging.

Mackenzie mayor Scott Aronsen, second from right, and deputy mayor Rit Fisher, right, met with Chinese Consulate General in Christchurch, Madame He Ying, at the council on March 31.

“These issues are widely discussed on Chinese social media platforms.

“A one-bedroom in Lake Tekapo could cost as much as NZD2000 per night … a bed in a youth hostel could reach around NZD500 per night,“ they said.

There were also reports of accommodation being cancelled on the day of check-in.

Aronsen said that had come as news to him.

“I had no idea at all.”

He said the council was looking at ways to manage congestion, particularly in Tekapo, by encouraging visitors to spread out further just Tekapo.

'It’s an opportunity for smaller accommodation providers to pick up.”

The council was working to tackle accommodation issues.

This week, Aronsen said he was planning another meeting to discuss options for road safety education.

A ‘drive slowly when icy’ sign along State Highway 8 near Lake Tekapo.

“I want to go back and have some more conversations with the Chinese Consulate about how we can better educate our Chinese drivers on the roads.'

This could involve a video campaign with him driving around the district with the Consul General, pointing out signs and providing an educational overview of the district, he said.

This video could be posted to Weibo, a Chinese social media platform similar to Facebook.

In February, the Queenstown Lakes District Council, working with Police, released a road safety video in Mandarin.

The video was shared with rental car agencies and Chinese-language media outlets across the country.

A range of road safety concerns across the district have been addressed in recent years, changes had included reduced speed limits and new signage.

In 2024, Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency announced a $5 million road safety investment in the Mackenzie, which saw pull-over areas built on State Highways 8, 79 and 80.

Rest areas, road widening, passing lanes and safety signage, including “Traffic behind you? Let it pass”, were also introduced.