Anti-helipad campaigners hit back at perceptions they are ‘jealous lefties’

Sunday, 27 July 2025

Fiery scenes erupted at a meeting of Auckland’s councillors on Thursday as it became clear that a motion to ban private helicopters in residential areas was going to crash and burn.

Waitematā ward councillor Mike Lee submitted the motion after lobby group Quiet Sky presented a 4168-signature petition calling for the council to stop Auckland’s wealthy from flying around “like the Jetsons”.

Albert-Eden councillor Christine Fletcher called it “Groundhog Day” after a similar attempt at a ban in 2023 had failed with seemingly no follow-up from the council on the issue.

“We're having the same discussion around the same issues and I think it’s done some reputational damage to the Auckland council.”

Since then ex-All Black Ali Williams and his partner, toy tycoon Anna Mowbray, have joined the likes of Briscoes founder Rod Duke and property developer Simon Herbert in obtaining inner-city helipads - with a total of 106 being consented region-wide.

Residents set the scene at the meeting, with Herne Bay’s Don Mathieson saying the neighbourhood had become fed up with their decks and pools being filled with leaves stirred up by rotorwash. And, beachgoers had reportedly had their towels blown into the seas.

“What we are experiencing is more than a minor inconvenience, it’s a growing threat to residents' quality of life,” said Mathieson.

“And, mechanical failure or pilot error even once could mean catastrophic consequences - we shouldn’t have to fear every time we hear the rotor spin.”

Waiheke Local Board chair Cath Handley told councillors that every time a helipad was approved several more applications would follow on the island.

“There are some people who fly into one vineyard for dinner and then fly to the next one for dessert. That is the behaviour we are living with.”

Island resident Kim Whitaker said locals were “pissed off”, “fed up on a Richter scale of 10”.

“It is a constant flow of helicopters when you're try to enjoy a quiet afternoon in the garden,” he said.

“You don't need to be an expert on acoustics … Whether it's 80 decibels or 50 decibels, we all know it's an unbelievably intrusive noise.”

Councillor Fletcher brought up the elephant in the room: “There are some who have said to me that this is all about the politics of jealousy.

“And I have been dismayed by that attitude because as someone who has had sand in my eye and caused me to have to have surgery, I do know the impact that helicopters can have in terms of disturbance,” she added.

Whitaker said the ban would be the democratic decision - “And, if believing in democracy makes me a lefty w…er, then I take that as a compliment.”

The Sunday Star-Times tugged at that thread and discovered that members of lobby group Quiet Sky were under the impression that Mayor Wayne Brown had told supporters at a fundraiser event that “w…ers get in the way of helicopter rights” and that “these leftist disrupters of progress need to get a life”.

Mayor Brown tells the Star-Times the claims were “completely untrue nonsense”, saying the rumours had “all the hallmarks of what that the poor mayor of Wellington got accused of”.

“Clearly nobody they’ve talked to was even there … [it was] fourth or fifth-hand [information].”

But, the rumour prompted Quiet Sky to send an outraged email to Brown, copying in all 20 elected councillors, saying “are you prepared to tell the more than 300 people who have emailed you in the last week … that they need to get a life?”

They went on: “Shall we save you the time and effort and let the 1200 people who submitted against the Westmere application and thousands who have signed our petition know that you think they’re a bunch of w…ers?”

Earlier this month, Quiet Sky’s Elena Keith told this reporter that there had been discussions within the group about getting more scrappy with their campaign, as their traditionally “polite” approach appeared to have had limited results.

It’s already had an effect - the Star-Times understands that a “generous” individual provided the group with a donation, enabling Quiet Sky to challenge Williams and Mowbray’s helipad consent in the Environment Court.

The richlister couple was reportedly “deeply disappointed” by the appeal.

The said they felt they had taken “a compromised position following years of meaningful engagement and a genuine effort to balance the needs of our neighbours”.

Restrictions to their helipad consent limit them to a maximum of two flights a day and only before 10pm - with highly-paid consultants arguing during hearings this would make the impact “less than minor”.

The resulting decision set a precedent with commissioners declaring that helicopter flights were a “permitted activity … inherently associated with residential land use”.

At the council meeting, staff recommended that the councillors seek a declaration in the Environment Court that private aircraft flights were a “non-complying” activity, but they stopped short of supporting Lee’s motion for a total prohibition.

Whitaker had urged councillors not to “let the planning department twist you around their little fingers … and vote in favour of this motion”.

That prompted a response from director of policy planning and governance, Megan Tyler, who said “we want to make it really clear that while we are providing advice, we [staff] will always implement a decision of the council”.

But, staff explained a prohibition would have to meet a high legal threshold as it would put helicopter flights at the same restriction level as nuclear power generators.

And, for such a major change to planning rules to get across the line, the council would need acoustic experts to testify that helicopter noise levels impacted human health - which would be difficult given most of Auckland’s experts had already been employed by helipad owners.

Adding another layer of difficulty was a recent directive from Chris Bishop, the minister responsible for RMA reform, stating that councils would temporarily need his permission for new planning changes - a move chairing councillor Richard Hills called “completely anti-democratic”.

Before Lee’s motion could be voted on, a new alternative motion appeared suggesting that staff could draft a plan change that would make it “explicitly clear” that residential flights were “non-complying” and support “targeted use” of prohibition in certain areas.

An outraged Lee said the new motion was “out of order”, “a stitch-up” and an “outcome by ambush” that showed that staff had made up their mind on a preferred outcome.

As councillors were given a 10-minute break to read over the detail, Lee could be heard telling Hills, “You’ll ruin your reputation over this”.

He said the new motion was weakened by “weasel words”. Albany councillor Wayne Walker added that a “non-complying” status would still be open to challenge by applicants with well-paid consultants.

While a majority of councillors stated in the meeting that they were opposed to private helicopters in residential areas, the feeling was that Lee’s motion would not achieve that result, and the alternative motion passed 15 to 7.

Said Hills: “I’ve never even been on a helicopter, and I don’t get why people want or need them … what I'm trying to do here is give us a chance.”

However, councillors were able to take a bolder stance when it came to Hauraki Gulf Islands, which have their own planning rules separate to the supercity’s Unitary Plan. Councillors voted for a prohibition, passing 14 to 7.

Howick councillor Maurice Williamson, meanwhile, wanted to know what it all meant for people like Williams and Mowbray who already had consents.

“[For] all the people that are calling me up and have said ‘I've already got mine and had to fight like hell, and it took so long,’ - this does not impact them?”

“That’s correct,” say staff.

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