Climate emergency declaration followed by airport plan allowing growth
Friday, 28 June 2019
A document outlining Queenstown Airport's priorities has largely ignored district councillors' concerns about climate change, some councillors say.
The council has a 75 per cent stake in the airport but its only control of the facility is through the annual Statement of Intent (SOI), which sets out the 'strategic priorities' for three years.
The airport corporation presented its latest annual statement to the council in March, but was told to rewrite sections. It presented its updated SOI to the council on Thursday – just minutes after the council declared a climate emergency.
The council wanted to know if the airport corporation still planned to extend its Queenstown noise boundaries to accommodate 5 million passengers each year, a plan rejected by about 90 per cent of the 1500 groups and individuals who submitted on the changes this year.
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The airport had also been asked to explore the possibility of working with other regional airports, to consider climate change and address concerns about tourism.
'This [updated SOI] doesn't adequately address a single concern I raised … nor any the council officially raised,' Queenstown Lakes District councillor Alexa Forbes said.
'It seems to be a plan to kill us by a thousand cuts.'
She feared the airport corporation had wilfully ignored the community and the council.
Cr Ross McRobie said parts of the statement were contradictory and he felt uneasy about it.
'I feel the wider community isn't focused on growth in the same way this SOI is.'
Airport chief executive Colin Keel said it was difficult for the airport to provide the clarity sought.
It was still in the process of writing masterplans for Wanaka and Queenstown airports and was awaiting the results of spatial studies from the council, he said.
Mayor Jim Boult told councillors the airport had to lodge the SOI within three days.
Instead of refusing to accept it, he suggested it be officially received but include a requirement for further discussions between the airport and the council.
The recommendation was accepted in a 6-5 vote.
Many in the public gallery were not pleased, including Wanaka Stakeholders Group chairman Michael Ross.
Ross earlier told the council it was handing control of the airport to a company primarily run by Auckland directors who were closer to Air New Zealand than the people in the community.
'You will condemn the community to a future it doesn't want.'
The council earlier won applause from the packed public gallery for its stance on climate change.
An agenda item proposing a draft district-wide climate action plan was upgraded to include the declaration of a climate emergency after the Extinction Rebellion group presented to the council.
Supported by 55 members, many carrying placards, Sonata McLeod outlined the need for the declaration.
'We need leadership, political will and courage … don't leave it to central Government.'
Luka Cowan, 11, spoke to the council about his concerns at plans to continue dumping sewerage in Lake Wānaka.
'People are not allowed to poo on public property, so why do this?
'Fresh water is more precious than money,' he said
Forbes said the declaration was a good start, but the council needed to provide resources and the community needed to make real changes.
'Business as usual is no longer an option,' she said.