Queenstown Airport Corporation (QAC) is tussling for control over its master plan with its majority owner, the Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC).
The airport corporation’s 2022-23 draft statement of intent, a three-year outline of the corporation’s objectives and activities, was considered at a full council meeting yesterday.
In February, the council submitted a statement of expectation to guide the development of the statement of intent, outlining the master and strategic plans must be formally agreed to by the full council before implementation, and consultation on both must be council-led.
However, the airport has pushed back on these expectations in its latest statement of intent.
In a letter to Mayor Jim Boult, QAC chairwoman Adrienne Young-Cooper said the expectations raised concerns over the company’s ability to meet its responsibilities under legislation, and functional challenges of ensuring a workable process to consult on and finalise a master plan.
Instead, the statement of intent proposed QAC followed a community engagement process in partnership with, but not led by, the council and committed to feedback from shareholders before the board approved the master plan.
Ms Young-Cooper and Queenstown Airport chief executive Glen Sowry addressed yesterday’s council meeting to reaffirm their commitment to a consultation partnership with the council and shareholder involvement.
"An airport master plan is a complex and highly technical document that does present a long-term integrated view on how many moving parts will work together for the benefit of the community and all the remaining stakeholders," Ms Young-Cooper said.
"The company needs to lead the consultation process to ensure the breadth and depth of feedback across all stakeholders groups is heard and considered by us."
While Mr Boult said he was comfortable with the draft statement of intent, several councillors expressed disapproval at the deviation from the council’s statement of expectation.
Cr Niki Gladding said she was happy for the board to lead consultation, but it was key the council had sign-off of the master and strategic plans.
"I think we need to have a final say on that," she said.
Sign-off was also a sticking point for Crs Quentin Smith and Calum MacLeod, the latter stating the master plan needed to be approved by the council, but that the statement of intent was a step in the right direction.
Queenstown Chamber of Commerce chief executive Ruth Stokes and Destination Queenstown board chairman Richard Thomas endorsed the statement of intent during the public forum, while former council infrastructure general manager Mark Kunath said the council needed to back itself in terms of the expectations set.
"I understand Adrienne Young-Cooper’s position ... but the bottom line is the buck stops with you [the council] in complaints about airport issues,” Mr Kunath said.
The council will meet to discuss submission of feedback to QAC before the corporation presents its final proposal in June.
