Queenstown Airport’s draft statement of intent (SOI) has cleared another hurdle.
The purpose of a report presented at this week’s Queenstown Lakes District Council meeting was for councillors to consider the Queenstown Airport Corporation (QAC) draft SOI for the year ending 30 June, 2025 and agree any feedback, or reject it.
Councillors voted to note the SOI delivered on March 1, and directed Mayor Glyn Lewers to issue any agreed feedback.
However, Cr Lyal Cocks wanted the SOI agreed to immediately, forgoing any feedback, in order to enable work to progress on the airport’s master plan, but the motion failed.
Corporate services general manager Meaghan Miller said the council had adopted a transparent approach to the process, enabling elected members and the community to view the draft.
Following that process, the next step would be for councillors to provide feedback before the board adopted the SOI, which then needed to be agreed on.
Cr Quentin Smith did not support approval, believing there was "a little bit of work to do" before it could be agreed.
"The [draft] SOI is reasonably silent on the major assets QAC own at Wānaka Airport, being the land surrounding the airport.
"I’d like to see some more information regarding that."
Cr Esther Whitehead was also against Cr Cock’s motion, saying she saw no advantage in agreeing the SOI immediately.
"What we have is a really good transparent process in front of us ... I don’t know why we’d compromise that."
Mr Lewers said when he was first elected he wanted to keep the SOI process the same as the previous term for now.
"I think next year, and the following couple of years, once we’ve established a process amongst ourselves that sort of option could be on the table," he told Cr Cocks.
Meanwhile, Cr Ferguson spoke highly of the airport’s board and chief executive, saying Queenstown Airport "is a much different entity than what it was when I first arrived here".
"They’re hearing the rhetoric from various sectors of the community, and that will be ongoing.
" ... they are reacting, and I have the utmost faith in the [chief executive] and the board, this time around, to do their job and deliver for the community, so I support this SOI."
