Photo: RNZWorkers are arriving in Queenstown and leaving within weeks because the cost of living is too high, recruiters and unions say. And we did not necessarily find Queenstown to have higher wages, just higher prices," she said. Data from Infometrics showed across the board, the average Queenstown worker earned $69,788 - 12 percent below the New Zealand average. Workers in, workers outEdmunds said he was not holding out hope for employers to pay their workers more. Edmunds said Queenstown had always been expensive place to live - but it should not just be a playground for the ultra-rich, he said.

Source: Otago Daily Times January 13, 2026 23:04 UTC