A letter was sent to Jim Boult early this afternoon in response to his statement at the Council meeting here in Wanaka yesterday. The letter is reproduced in full below.

Jim Boult

Mayor, Queenstown Lakes District Council, Queenstown

By email: jim.boult@qldc.govt.nz 

Friday 9th August 2019

Dear Mayor Boult

We have been reflecting on your special announcement at the start of yesterday’s Council meeting.

First of all, thanks to you and your fellow councillors for committing to put community concerns higher on your agenda and for signalling your willingness to increase transparency and consultation around the airport issue.  This is a positive step in the right direction, and as you know some of the steps you have announced are measures we have been asking you to take for quite some time.

We are, and have always been, future focussed, open minded, and have the best interests of the community at heart.  In pushing for development of Wanaka Airport based on projected demand and a growth management agenda, you are on the brink of making decisions about our community which will shape our future, irreversibly.  We remain adamant that the community should be front and centre of this discussion and fully involved in the decision making process.

That is why we need to review your words and your commitments in yesterday’s statement very closely, and will continue to do so in the coming days.  We will have questions and matters requiring clarification, but need to work on the details further before sharing them with you. We will come back to you when we have completed this – which will likely be by the end of next week.  

That said, we have yet to receive a response to our letter of 7th August.  We are not satisfied that this statement from the Mayor provides an acceptable or appropriate pathway to a proper resolution of the issues over Wanaka Airport.  We will be requesting further relevant information from you before we indicate the position and response of WSG and the people we represent.

We look forward to your reply,

Yours sincerely

[Signed]
Michael Ross
Chair, Wanaka Stakeholders Group Inc.

Cc list:

QLDC: CEO, all Councillors and Wanaka Community Board members

CEO, QAC

If you have not read the Mayor’s full statement to Council, you can find a copy of it here.