The calling off of next week's Wings and Wheels Over Waikato Airshow has not surprised members of the Wanaka aviation community, who say they have long felt the competing event might not happen.
Warbirds Over Wanaka general manager Gavin Johnston declined to comment on the demise of the Hamilton show, but said he had never met or heard of the organiser, Ken Ross.
Warbirds Over Wanaka Charitable Trust chairman Garth Hogan also said, when contacted, he had not met Mr Ross and did not know of his affiliations in the aviation community.
Wanaka airshow personnel have been concerned the Hamilton show could detract from the Wanaka event and might not be able to live up to advertisements.
It did not yet have resource consent but $1.5 million worth of tickets had been sold.
Trade exhibitors were promised 100,000-150,000 spectators.
Mr Hogan said he did not know the circumstances behind the postponement.
‘‘I am aware of the postponement . . . of course we are concerned about anything negative about the airshow industry and the impact that might have on all airshows,'' Mr Hogan said.
Mr Hogan said he was ‘‘definitely disappointed'' for spectators who had planned to go to the Hamilton show instead of Wanaka, because the Wanaka organisers had always felt the Hamilton show would not be able to provide what Wanaka could offer.
Publicity information describes Mr Ross as a principal of an event company who has travelled and attended numerous airshows and military museums in Britain and the US over the past five years.
His company was ‘‘qualified and committed to provide a very successful event at Hamilton, year after year''.
On the ‘‘What's On Hamilton'' website, it was claimed Mr Ross's company would operate a series of international shows at Hamilton International Airport annually for 10 years.
Mr Ross promoted the inaugural Wings and Wheels Over Waikato airshow as ‘‘the biggest airshow in New Zealand'' and ‘‘it's got everybody going''.
There would be 300 exhibitors from all over New Zealand.
Brochures showed a F111 jet fighter, a Spitfire once owned by Sir Tim Wallis and now based in Australia, and ‘‘the very best USA jet aerobatic team'', which one Wanaka contact said he could not imagine being available.
Waipa District Council communications adviser Nicki Davidson said marketing and advertising for the Hamilton show began about October.
An incomplete resource consent application was lodged with the council on January 22 and the council sent a letter to Mr Ross the next day requiring more information.
Mr Ross needed to provide written consent from several affected parties, including Transit New Zealand, Hamilton International Airport, CTC Flight School, Civil Aviation Authority, airport neighbours and the Hamilton City Council, a major landowner near the airport.
‘‘Council still has not received this information so the resource consent application is on hold. We have given Mr Ross a deadline of Monday March 3, 9am, to lodge all the necessary information with us or the consent application cannot be processed in time for the event next weekend[March 7-9],'' Ms Davidson said.
