Chief executive Duncan Field told the council on Tuesday that the compliance project with helicopter operators had led to 299 applications for individual landing sites and a further three for just over 200 sites.
"We have got in a situation where we need to meet with operators again to see if there is a way we can facilitate these consents," he said.
Mayor Clive Geddes said the process started three years ago with an agreed protocol on how operators should seek consents and that a district plan change was not the answer.
"The wheels have fallen off because the applicants have ceased to act in a cohesive way as they did two years ago."
The district plan did not differentiate between areas, he said.
A plan change would open up the discussion of Wakatipu helicopter operators to everyone in the district.
"There's enormous commercial risk to operators if we do that, and Doc [Department of Conservation] agreed."
Cr Vanessa van Uden said it was looming case of "bureaucracy gone mad".
She recommended streamlining an inexpensive process and said she hoped the council and Lakes Environmental had learned from council's earlier gravel extraction compliance project.
Cr Gillian Macleod said she could understand the concerns of people living in residential areas near the proposed landing sites, but most of the sites were in remote areas.
Film and television line producer Jeff Williams said during the earlier public forum that the industry was very concerned about the implications of the new regulation.
Crews often did not know in advance where they would need to land and had simply contacted the landowner for permission in the past.
"It appears this regulation is a dog's breakfast in its implications, which could require bureaucracy where there didn't need to be."
Mr Williams said it would be "extremely embarrassing" for producers if landing compliance impacted in the middle of a shoot and it could hurt the international profile of the industry.
Mr Field said there was provision for film crews in the district plan, which related to temporary activities of less than seven days and involving less than 200 people.
His recommendation about a round-table discussion with all operators was carried unanimously, the date and location to be announced.
