Queenstown-based Otago regional councillor Alexa Forbes said her constituency had no appetite for "hopium" - a combination of the words "hope" and "opium" that describes irrational or unwarranted optimism.
"My concern is that there are issues for Queenstown in presenting a series of hopium projects that don’t have the foundations in place for successful delivery.
"There’s already a loss of social licence towards development in the town and even a hint of a promise of something that can’t be delivered will cause further harm."
The Otago Regional Council this week touted "unanimous support" among councillors for a regional deal proposal jointly prepared by the Queenstown Lakes and Central Otago District Councils and the ORC.
The proposal included a wish list from the councils as to how to achieve a "transformational" transport system, the electrification of both districts, leveraging private investment to deliver public health services and sharing the value from growth.
All three councils this week supported its submission to the Department of Internal Affairs today.
However, much of the support around the ORC council table seemed tepid at best and the ORC’s role seemed to be unclear.
Cr Forbes cited the mass rapid transit project highlighted in the proposal - gondola or gondola-like cable cars - as problematic.
"A gondola or any other such mass transport system requires a foundational network of foot and cycle paths that are connected and safe so that people can get to the actual stations.
"Any public transport system requires such a system to operate safely and effectively.
"We have had extreme difficulty getting such safe pathways in place to service our existing [public transport] and I don’t see any recognition of this in this project."
Other projects in the proposal suffered from the same issue, she said.
They had reservations about the proposal’s implicit endorsement of projects listed in the Fast-track Approvals Act as well as the feasibility of some of the other projects listed.
"That’s a lot more things to be concerned about than to be excited about," Cr Weir said.
"Given the timeframes we are under here, I voted, pro forma, for this deal to continue to the next stages.
"I don’t want to stand in the way of genuinely good things happening, but I have to be clear that when it comes to final approval from the table further down the line, this deal has a long way to go before I can support it at those further stages."
The project seemed overly focused on Queenstown and its tourism sector, Cr Gary Kelliher said.
Cr Michael Laws agreed it was overly Queenstown-centric, but said the lesson for the CODC and ORC was to be "more involved and more demanding".
"I understand this proposal as just a preliminary skirmish in a long battle to attract government investment into the Dunstan region."
There did need to be more balance in the council partnership "and much more thought about what goes ahead in any deal", Cr Alan Somerville said.
"But the biggest problem is the underlying intent to create more growth in a region already struggling to cope with growth."
Cr Lloyd McCall said if the proposal was selected by the government the ORC would work with the QLDC and CODC "as equal partners" to ensure there was a benefit for the whole region.
"Being at the table with an environmental and resilience lens during the planning stage will ensure controlled sustainable development that will benefit the many and varied industries the region is well known for."
In the ORC statement, chairwoman Gretchen Robertson said the proposal was "a starting point", and not a "final deal".
If the proposal was approved, the three councils would begin investigations, governance arrangements and a memorandum of understanding with the government.
"This is our chance to get ahead of the game and ensure Otago Central Lakes is positioned for long-term success."
