Gilks appointed airport chairman

Professional director John Gilks, of Wanaka, has been announced as chairman of Queenstown Airport Corporation by the Queenstown Lakes District Council, which unanimously supported his appointment.

The council will discuss other options for the board at a private meeting on Monday.

In a statement yesterday, council chief executive Debra Lawson said Mr Gilks was a "hugely respected individual" with career highlights ranging from Port of Otago chairman to being a "sought-after director for energy, finance and health organisations".

Mr Gilks has replaced Murray Valentine, a Dunedin-based chartered accountant, who was appointed interim chairman in April after the resignation of Mark Taylor. That followed the council's resolving to remove him from the board if he did not agree to resign within seven days.

Mr Taylor was head of the board when the controversial strategic alliance between Auckland International Airport Ltd and Queenstown Airport Corporation was announced in July last year, resulting in Queenstown Airport creating and selling a 24.99% shareholding to Auckland for $27.7 million.

The matter was taken to the High Court by the Queenstown Community Strategic Asset Group and Air New Zealand before the legal action was withdrawn in May, three days before the hearing was due to begin in Queenstown.

The other remaining directors are professional engineer James Hadley, appointed in November 2008, and Kiwibank and TVNZ director Alison Gerry, who has more than 20 years' experience working in finance and treasury, appointed in June last year.

The council announced in July it had started a recruitment process for two new directors for the council-controlled organisation, one of which would be appointed chairman-elect until the board's annual meeting, with a possibility of a fifth director being appointed to the board.

Mayor Vanessa van Uden yesterday told the Otago Daily Times Mr Gilks was able to be appointed as chairman because there was a vacancy on the board.

The appointment was confirmed last week after consultation with Auckland International Airport Ltd, as Ms van Uden said Queenstown Airport was a "significant asset" to the community and it was appropriate "someone of John's standing and calibre should take up the mantle".

"It's a lot to do with his experience and knowledge and for us it's really good; the role he's had with Port of Otago, that level of understanding he brings about the balance between the private company with the overarching accountability to a local authority and, ultimately, the community."

The council has announced it will hold an extraordinary meeting on Monday to consider "QAC directors".

The meeting, to begin at 9am, will be held with public excluded. When asked if the council would be considering a fifth director at that meeting, Ms van Uden said it would be looking at "all the options" to create a board which would deliver the best outcomes.

"The numbers are an option that will be discussed."

Any further decisions about the board make-up would not be made until the corporation's annual meeting, to be held later this month.

tracey.roxburgh@odt.co.nz