The Queenstown Lakes District Council has appointed a new chief executive to replace Adam Feeley, who resigned late last year.
Mr Feeley - a former head of the Serious Fraud Office - joined the council in 2012.
Mike Theelen will take up the job in Queenstown in early February.
He was formerly general manager of strategy and planning at the Christchurch City Council.
He resigned from that role in December.
In a statement released by the Queenstown council, Mr Theelen said he understood the challenges involved in Queenstown's fast paced and dynamic environment.
