An American noise expert, who described herself as an "anti-noise campaigner", was reminded by Judge Laurie Newhook to answer the questions concisely during an Environment Court hearing in Queenstown yesterday.
Dr Arlene Bronzaft was being cross-examined on the fourth day of the appeal by 16 appellants against an independent commissioner's decision to grant resource consent for a $20 million motorsport track and facility by Cromwell Motorsport Park Trust Ltd.
They appealed on the grounds the noise would be excessive and intrusive in a residential area.
Dr Bronzaft , who was in New York, appeared via videolink as a fuzzy green shape behind a desk to answer questions on the evidence she submitted on behalf of the appellants.
Trust counsel Craig Page began his cross-examination of Dr Bronzaft's evidence, which was not released to the media.
He asked the doctor if she was aware Public Health South had assessed the motorsport park application and had not raised any health issues.
"I have read quite a bit of evidence and I would say I disagree, based upon my vast experience in the area, having been a psychological and statistics professor for 35 years and having a worldwide reputation on the impacts of noise on health."
She said she did not accept the expert evidence of Dr David Black, specialist in environmental medicine at the University of Auckland, who was later cross-examined on his evidence.
Following Mr Page's questions, Dr Bronzaft said a site visit would be helpful to some degree when preparing evidence.
It did not necessarily mean that people who thought they were endangered by noise were more likely to be bothered by it, she said.
Dr Bronzaft, who has conducted noise studies around airports, said she had not repeated her airport studies near motorsport activities.
Mr Page said there was a difference, because motorsports were not emitting noise all day, every day.
However, the doctor said she had included other studies in her evidence that were more comparable.
Mr Page asked if there was a study for an activity that lasted between 8am and 6pm for 28 days of the year.
"Don't you accept that people are more likely to be tolerant [of noise] if it's less than 10% of the year?"
Dr Bronzaft said residents should not be expected to give up household activities for "seven, eight, nine weekends" of the year.
"Is this a reasonable request of a typical community? I would say no.
"People shouldn't be deprived of using their homes. That deprivation would be a hardship."
Mr Page asked the expert if she had a "philosophical objection" to noisy motorsports after quoting a letter to the editor of the New York Times where she criticised the "boorish, immature behaviour" of motorcyclists.
"I have an objection to people imposing their noise on others without being responsible. I object to rudeness," she said.
The case was adjourned until September 3-4 for closing submissions.
