Climate change and the environment were high on the list of concerns addressed at a meet-the-candidates event at Lake Hawea yesterday, and the questions got quite personal.

A member of the audience of about 100 demanded to know of the Queenstown Lakes District Council and Wanaka Community Board candidates what they had done to reduce their carbon footprints.

Deputy mayor Calum McLeod had planted 2500 trees, community board chairman Quentin Smith was involved with Climate Extinction, but council candidate Niamh Shaw won that round by declaring – while indicating her clothing – that she was “styled by Wastebusters”.

On one side of the airport debate, board candidate Ed Taylor declared his support for development, while council candidate Lincoln Haworth described two commercial airports within 60km of each other “grossly irresponsible”.

Read this in full here.