Southland MP Joseph Mooney and Queenstown Lakes district deputy mayor Quentin Smith have traded blows online over the controversial process.
Mr Glover advocated for the two men to come out from behind their keyboards and enter into debate in real life.
“My suggestion was if there’s a debate to be had about the merits or otherwise of fast-track, it’s better done in the public domain than going down online rabbit holes.”
He had initially suggested Cr Smith debate Mr Mooney because Cr Smith was a qualified and highly experienced planner, he said.
However, he now saw little point in a confrontational, “win-lose, my argument is better than yours” debate.
Instead, a “town hall” panel discussion involving himself, Mr Mooney and others with expertise on the issue would be far more informative, he said.
“It would be interesting to hear what some of our long-term local developers think.”
Although he had seen a “fair degree of community sentiment” online about the potential impacts of fast-track proposals on the Wakatipu, he was unsure whether the public would turn up for such a meeting.
Still, he intended to discuss the idea with Mr Mooney during a planned call this week, he said.
Mr Mooney told Allied Media he would be “more than happy” to take part in a public panel discussion.
He had written a social media post about the fast-track issue earlier this month because some district councillors did not appear to be aware of their council’s role in the process.
The law underpinning the fast-track process required councils to be invited to comment and provide evidence on the merits or otherwise of proposals in their region.
Mr Mooney accused Cr Smith of “complaining online” and not focusing on the behind-the-scenes work needed to solve the district’s infrastructure challenges.
Mr Mooney said he would keep pushing back against anyone “throwing mud on social media” about the issue because he was concerned it would deter prospective fast-track developers from engaging with affected communities.
A recent public meeting set up by developer Guy Hingston had enabled “good dialogue back and forth” on the Bowen Peak proposal, he said.
“There’s always an inherent fear about having a public meeting, because it’s a chance for the loudest, most outrageous voices to say things to get in the media.
“It becomes a media storm, and then everyone runs for the hills.”
In a recent exchange online, Cr Smith suggested the fast-track approvals process “ignored” input from local councils.
“Maybe you could also explain what contribution existing approvals have made to downstream transport infrastructure funding — the answer is none.
“[I] can assure you that we fully understand our role in the process and the council do provide input in the process along with NZTA [NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi] which seems to be largely ignored.”
