Set within one of Queenstown’s most recognised landscapes, Millbrook Resort has long been known for golf, accommodation and hospitality. Yet behind the guest experience is a much broader story: one of a business investing in its people, creating opportunities for local talent, and contributing to the community it is part of.
Since opening in 1993, the resort has grown into a major golf and lifestyle destination, home to the New Zealand Open, two 18-hole championship golf courses, 160 rooms, five dining venues, an award-winning spa and Health & Fitness Centre.
That growth has created career opportunities across 16 departments, with approximately 280 people employed in winter and up to 350 during the summer season. From hospitality, spa and food and beverage to golf operations, property, gardens and support teams, the people behind the resort are central to its continued success.
For those considering a move to Queenstown Lakes, the region offers extraordinary lifestyle appeal, but also practical challenges. Supporting people to settle, develop and feel connected has become an important part of the resort’s long-term approach.
Helping people build a life in Queenstown
One of the most practical ways the resort supports its team is through staff accommodation. What began with one leased house in Arrowtown has grown to five, offering people moving to the district somewhere to land while they find a longer-term home.
Rooms are provided without the resort seeking to make a profit, with payments set to cover rent and bills. Some team members stay for a few weeks while they settle into the area; others remain longer because of the continued difficulty finding suitable accommodation.
“We know our staff are our biggest asset, so we look at the whole employee experience and what will genuinely make living and working here easier,” says Louise Baines, People and Culture Manager.
That support also extends into the working day. Every team member receives a free hot lunch while on shift, a longstanding benefit that helps ease household costs while also creating space for people to pause and connect. During severe weather, rooms can also be kept available so staff do not have to make an unsafe journey home.
Across the resort, staff discounts allow employees to experience the places and services they help bring to life, while friends and family rates make it easier for visiting relatives to stay in one of Arrowtown’s most distinctive settings.
Pathways to grow
Career development is another important part of the employee experience. The resort supports qualifications in areas such as horticulture, turf management and hospitality management, alongside internal leadership training and development opportunities.
“We are big enough to offer a wide range of opportunities, but still connected enough to understand individual circumstances and ask how we can best support each person,” Louise says.
That balance is reflected in long-term loyalty. The resort’s longest-serving current employee has been part of the team for 26 years, and many members of the leadership team have been with the business for more than a decade.
Connection also matters in a workforce drawn from many countries and spread across a large resort. A staff social club arranges monthly activities with local tourism businesses, while wellbeing events and larger seasonal celebrations help people build relationships beyond their immediate teams.
Creating community connections
The resort also helps create pathways into work for local students, providing workplace experience for Wakatipu High School pupils, hosting Queenstown Resort College interns, and supporting practical training through Otago Polytechnic’s Sports Turf Management programme.
Its wider community contribution includes school and charity fundraisers, the Arrowtown Autumn Festival, hosting the start of the Queenstown International Marathon, and support for the Queenstown Trails Trust. Allowing the trail to pass through the property helped complete the wider Queenstown-to-Gibbston network.
Caring for the landscape
Environmental work is increasingly woven into day-to-day operations. The introduction of a HotRot composting system is helping divert food waste from landfill by collecting organic waste from the resort and participating Arrowtown restaurants. The resulting compost will be used across gardens and landscapes, with a longer-term goal of making any surplus available to the community.
That approach builds on the resort’s kitchen garden and 80-tree orchard, which supply produce to its restaurants and provide an educational space for guests and visiting school pupils. Other initiatives, from electric golf carts and water-quality monitoring to wetland restoration and support for the Whakatipu Reforestation Trust, form part of a broader commitment to caring for the landscape the resort is part of.
Individually, these initiatives are practical. Together, they reflect a long-term commitment to the people, community and landscape that have grown alongside the resort. For those looking to build a career in hospitality, golf, wellbeing, food and beverage, property or support services, it is also a reminder that meaningful work in Queenstown can be part of something larger.