Locals- Rachel Rose QueenstownRachel Rose has worked and supported the community in many roles in the past, she now heads up HR and Recruitment at Southern Discoveries and is still involved in Citizens Advice Bureau. A fellow Brit, she has made Queenstown her home for the past nine years.

Who are you, what’s your story?
Rachel Rose (nee Heathcote), born Stockport (nr Manchester) a long long time ago. Left the UK to travel the world in 1995 and met a Kiwi in Auckland the following year.  Got my residency when it was easy and cheap, and apart from a brief stint back in the UK during the GFC (that was fun) have been in Aotearoa ever since.

Your work. What drives you, what makes it unique to you.
I have two jobs right now: My paid role is HR & Recruitment Manager at Southern Discoveries.  We are currently on a growth and change journey in the business, and it is exciting to see the difference that great leadership makes to people’s working lives. My unpaid job is as Chairperson on the Citizens Advice Bureau. I’m so proud to be part of this organisation, and to work with our dedicated volunteers. In both my jobs what drives me is seeing people thrive, not survive.

Tell us more about the Queenstown community you live in, why you’re there, what keeps you there and what you love about it.
We came here on a bit of a punt, as my husband Mark was asked to come and turn around a flailing business (The Rees Hotel). We have been here for 9 years now, and this is most definitely home. We are townies, living in Fernhill, and love the buzz and people mix in the area (great Fish and Chips, and our local restaurant VKnow helps too :-))  It’s a bit of a cliche, but it is an amazing place for our kids to grow up, and I love being spoilt for choice in the small town with a city feel.

Locals- Rachel Rose Queenstown

Favourite spot that feels like ‘yours’ and why you go there.
Walking along the Arrow River, as it connects me to the Bollin river in my home town of Wilmslow in the UK.  I also have a love hate relationship with those non-native trees!

What do you hope the future looks like for you and Queenstown? How are you investing in your community?
An inclusive place, with plenty of affordable housing, where workers of all backgrounds can see a future here if they want it. Accepting that we don’t have to be the only tourism Jewel in the Crown, and that sustainable growth means acknowledging that we can share the tourists with other parts of the country that are mere blips on the radar right now.

Someone said to me the other day that you can’t do business in this town without doing community too.  I wouldn’t want to.  Giving to the community is essential to who I am and what I hold dear.

Locals- Rachel Rose Queenstown


Rachel was one of our ‘locals’ and you can be too! Get in touch here.