Catholic Education Office director Tony Hanning, of Dunedin, was asked for his reaction to the appeal, which was filed in the High Court at Invercargill on Monday.
Eight parties, represented by Queenstown lawyer Michael Parker, have appealed the whole decision by Environment Court judge Melanie Harland and commissioners Marlene Oliver and Heather McConachy for resource consent for the proposed 112-pupil school.
The appellants were Ayburn Farm Estates Ltd, consulting engineer James Hadley and Rebecca Lucas, as trustees of the Millhouse Trust, plus environmental scientist Glenn Davis and former Queenstown Lakes District Council planner Gemma Davis, council planner Scott Figenshow and Lakes District Hospital manager Norman Gray, barrister Jane Taylor and former Queenstown Airport Corporation chairman Mark Taylor, also a director of Ayburn Farm Estates, with Dianne McArthur, Ken Edwards, Murray McCleery and Eunice Parkin.
The appellants were either neighbours or landowners near the proposed school site.
The notice of appeal alleged 46 errors and questions of law in the Environment Court's decision, including the compatibility of the school with the amenity and its rural-residential zone and the court's failure to address traffic effects.
Mr Hanning said the appellants had exercised their right to appeal, "but despite the points raised, I'm still firmly of the opinion the Environment Court deliberated very thoroughly and competently over the several days of the hearing and gave full and fair coverage and clear reasons for their decision in the 35-page report".
St Joseph's School, in Queenstown, was proposed to administer the new school as a second campus.
When asked to comment, St Joseph's board of trustees chairman Rene Kampman said yesterday he was "disappointed they've decided to appeal and I guess we just have to patient".
