Comment permalink

An Otago entrepreneur has thrown his support behind the group opposed to the potential expansion of Wanaka Airport, so people are aware of what it is "they are arguing about".

Ian Taylor, who founded Dunedin computer graphics company Animation Research Ltd and multimedia production company Taylormade Productions, was concerned by the issue and created an animation based on what information was publicly available for the Wanaka Stakeholders Group.

"The reason it’s been given to the group in Wanaka is ... what we are trying to say to the public is whatever happens at the airport, it’s going to affect our grandchildren.

"Our concern is that there’s so little information being shared, the animation we’ve made shows how much land they’ve bought - it makes it twice the size of Queenstown [airport] - it shows what currently, from the information that’s available, what a $400 million investment in an airport would mean in order for them to get their return."

He claimed Queenstown Airport Corporation Ltd (QAC) was "not sharing any information at all".

"We need the people proposing this jet airport into Wanaka to step forward and be open in the debate because right now, there’s nothing. All this stuff is happening behind closed doors."

A QAC spokesperson said the corporation had not seen the animation, which was released publicly today.

"QAC cannot comment on the animation commissioned by the Wanaka Stakeholders Group because we have not seen it. Given that QAC has not at any time put out a formal proposal or plan for the future development of Wanaka Airport, the animation can only be based on WSG’s speculation."

The spokesperson said a statement made by the company on September 13, which said QAC "has not at any time put out a formal proposal or plan for the future development of Wanaka Airport" was as "relevant today as it was at the time it was made".

Mr Taylor was concerned that if any expansion did go ahead, the cost of required infrastructure such as roading would "fall on the small group of ratepayers in Wanaka", and also feared the township would become "overrun by tourism".

"Let’s make sure we are fully informed about what we are doing, so our kids don’t have to remedy it if we are wrong."

The issue was at present the subject of a judicial review, filed in September by the group that represented about 3000 people.

The group sent letters this morning to Queenstown Lakes Mayor Jim Boult, local councillors and QAC directors.

WSG chairman Michael Ross told the Otago Daily Times the group had been asking the council and QAC for details relating to Wanaka Airport for ‘‘many months’’ and it had been stonewalled.