That was the message from a Queenstown Lakes District Council meeting in Wanaka yesterday, to aviators who use the Glenorchy airstrip and want to retain their existing use rights.
The council signed off the Glenorchy airstrip reserve management plan after making some amendments.
Ownership of the airstrip was transferred from the Department of Conservation to the council in 2013 and public consultation on the management plan was carried out last year.
Parks and reserves planning manager Stephen Quin told the meeting Doc had no record of who used the airstrip or how often.
Senior parks and reserves planner Jeannie Galavazi said two operators had Doc concessions to use the airstrip but there were known to be up to 13 users.
After discussion at the council meeting about the lack of available information on the use being made of the airstrip and what could be considered as its ''baseline'' level of use, chief executive Mike Theelen said those applying for licences to use the airstrip would need to show evidence from their log books they were established users.
Operators with no history of using the airstrip will need publicly notified resource consent.
Glenorchy Community Association member Mark Hasselman told the meeting the airstrip ''seemed to be working really well''. Planes were steering clear of the Glenorchy township and not generating noise complaints.
The association recognised jobs were being created by airstrip users.
The airstrip is used by local operators and by others flying tourists from Queenstown to Glenorchy to take part in tourist activities such as jet-boating.
