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.
The issue has seen the creation of the Queenstown Community Strategic Assets Group (QCSAG), which issued a statement against the sale of the "family silver" without consulting "the family".
The Queenstown Chamber of Commerce has issued a memorandum to its members outlining the "key issues" of the transaction and seeking feedback.
Former mayor and QCSAG member Warren Cooper sent a letter to QLDC chief executive Debra Lawson, to which Ms Lawson replied.
And the airport corporation has issued a statement asking chamber of commerce chairman Alastair Porter to "step aside" from airport debates, citing conflicts of interest.
One man spoken to by the Otago Daily Times yesterday said he had never seen such a contentious issue in the resort.
The man, who did not want to be named, said he thought the alliance would be controversial "but I didn't think it would be this bad", with the issues now becoming "personal".
"A bunch of people have made a significant decision for the district, without the chance for people, stakeholders ... to have any say whatsoever.
"I think that's what got people upset."
Another man, who also asked not to be identified, said most people seemed to feel that long term it was a strategically good deal.
However, they struggled to understand why there was "limited" consultation.
"If you want to look at the line-up of developers and property owners and the rigmarole they have to go through to do anything, they just feel like `hang on, it's one set of rules for them and another set of rules for the council'.
"They should have consulted the councillors, even if they say part of the deal is `we can't consult' - anyone else in business with an ounce of common sense would just not have [gone ahead and done the deal]."
The man, who has been in the area for 20 years, said he believed there was "a bit of ego" involved in the debate and some people had "their noses out over what's happened".
Mayor Clive Geddes said it was time to focus on the transaction, not the process.
"I'm not going to go digging out history; it's not [helpful] to do that. I think that people just need to turn the volume down with all of the rhetoric and stick with the facts."
• One of the new members of the QCSAG group, Michael Davies, is fellow member John Davies' son, not brother as reported yesterday.
