Context
With regular community commentary calling for an economic reset, we are frustrated that Council refuses to explore the potential to relocate airline flights from Frankton. It is especially concerning that Council excludes this scenario from the outset for the new government-mandated spatial plan.
Deciding to be uninformed is surely not good governance.
QLDC full council meeting
September 3, 2020
Good afternoon, I am John Hilhorst representing FlightPlan2050.
The concept of an Alpine City Campus and the relocation of Queenstown Airport was very much left field when we first raised it at a public meeting in April last year.
Since then:
- We have seen Covid collapse our tourism economy.
- The MartinJenkins report has confirmed that a new regional airport would provide the greatest prosperity, employment and connectivity for our region.
- And Christchurch International Airport has purchased land at Tarras. For just $45 million they bought five-times the land size of Queenstown Airport.
The Tarras option now means we have the potential to relocate the airport and could do so with minimal legal or financial risk to QLDC ratepayers.
This presents an enormous opportunity that continues to go unexplored. Instead, we have had what could only be described as an obstructive commentary on behalf of our Council.
- Maybe, keeping an international jet airport in Frankton is the best long-term option for Queenstown Lakes District.
- Maybe we don’t need the $1 billion of infrastructure and community amenities that could otherwise be funded from the sale of the airport’s land. That’s four times Council’s current equity in QAC.
- Maybe we don’t need the $16 million of new annual rates revenues from the re-zoned Frankton land. That’s three times the annual dividend we might expect from QAC.
- Maybe we can continue with urban sprawl across the Wakatipu Basin for the 30,000 new residents expected over the next four decades.
- Maybe economic diversification to high-value, knowledge-based business is not desirable, and we should keep our focus on bums-on-seats tourism.
But then, maybe we’d be wrong. How will we know if we don’t ask? Why would we choose ignorance ahead of knowledge? Why would we choose to obstruct instead of exploring?
As our councillors, this choice, of whether we remain ignorant or choose to be informed, is in your hands.
You could use the existing work-streams of Council to consider these options so that we can make sensible and wise decisions on the shape of our district in coming decades.
- I ask you to use October’s statement of intent to insist QAC must communicate with Christchurch International Airport, and that it must explore the potential benefits this could offer our ratepayers.
- I ask you to explicitly include the potential of relocation of Queenstown Airport within the Spatial Plan.
- And to do the same with the 10-year Annual Plan.
How will we know what’s best if we don’t ask? If we don’t have information? If we don’t explore the options?
Please do this on behalf of our whole community.
Thank you.