Mayor Clive Geddes says he is unrepentant about the controversy caused by the sale of Queenstown Airport shares this month, denies the issue is dividing the community and wants people to "focus on the transaction, not the process".
The discussion to date of the transaction itself in the Queenstown Airport Corporation and Auckland International Airport Ltd (AIAL) strategic alliance has been "scant", Queenstown Lakes District Mayor Clive Geddes said yesterday.
For two weeks, debate has raged in Queenstown over Queenstown Airport Corporation's sale of a new 24.99% shareholding worth $27.7 million to Auckland International Airport Ltd.
Queenstown Airport Corporation (QAC) chairman Mark Taylor expressed his "disappointment" to the Queenstown Chamber of Commerce board at a meeting yesterday afternoon, regarding a memorandum sent out to its members on Friday.
The Queenstown Chamber of Commerce board last night issued a recommendation the Queenstown Lakes District Council investigate whether there had been a breach of Queenstown Airport Corporation's responsibilities under its Statement of Intent.
Queenstown Airport Corporation chairman Mark Taylor said under the board's constitution it "can issue further shares", but it was "good judgement" it did not.
The Queenstown Lakes District Council had been "hoodwinked" and the deal the Queenstown Airport Corporation (QAC) had done with Auckland International Airport Ltd (AIAL) was "cute", Queenstown businessman John Martin said yesterday.
Former mayor Warren Cooper is calling for the Queenstown Airport Corporation (QAC) board of directors to either resign or explain themselves to the community after a deal with Auckland International Airport Ltd (AIAL) left him "aghast".
