A group of young children were left screaming and crying in Queenstown’s CBD on Tuesday after watching a motorist mow down a group of ducks in lower Beach St.

The company behind the billionaire-backed Queenstown cable car proposal has hit back at concerns from the local government, saying it is still early days in the process.

It is third time lucky for an Australian developer whose fast-track application for a large residential suburb and skifield near Queenstown has been accepted after two failed attempts.