Judge Jackson yesterday heard an update on the appeal against plan change 27A: updating noise measurements and assessment standards.
The Arthurs Point Protection Society appealed in June last year.
The society says the plan change will increase noise standards within the district and lower restrictions on helicopter flights.
During the pre-hearing conference yesterday, council lawyer Jayne Macdonald said there were "fundamental points of difference" between the parties on the technical aspects of the plan change.
There was disagreement on helicopter noise standards because the council's noise consultant was not present in an earlier mediation, when the matter of the technical aspects of the noise standard had been discussed by the parties, in September last year, she said.
Society secretary-treasurer Chris Streat said specialists had already held a caucus and signed an agreement.
Members preferred not to pay for another mediation as they had already spent $40,000 on the Totally Tourism and Arthurs Point helipad appeal over noise standards last year.
Ms Macdonald said there were differences of opinion over measuring the 24-hour averaging of helicopter noise.
Mr Streat said the matters the specialists were asked to discuss did not include 24-hour averaging.
Interested party Peter Fleming, a central business district landlord, said further mediation was not needed.
The only way forward was to remove the CBD from the plan change, he said.
Judge Jackson asked if the plan change made a difference to the applicable noise level in the CBD.
Ms Macdonald said: "For some types of noise, yes; for some types of noise, no."
The council was seeking to introduce the latest New Zealand noise standards and there might be some adverse effects, she said.
Former mayor and CBD landlord Warren Cooper, who stood for himself and three other interested parties, said he had asked on two earlier occasions for a guarantee there would not be a change in noise levels in the CBD.
However, they said there had been an increase and they did not want more mediation.
The judge said there was disagreement between the noise consultants and there were two sets of disagreements over noise - Arthurs Point and the Queenstown CBD.
Evidence would need to be prepared and parties could make reference to the mediation agreement in their evidence.
Mr Fleming said the parties wished to rely on the evidence of Dr Stephen Childs, the council's noise control consultant, and their ability to cross-examine witnesses.
The judge directed the acoustic consultants to meet within the month in the hope they might resolve matters between the council and Arthurs Point residents.
An independent commissioner would be available to assist with the conference if the parties requested.
