New council will decide Queenstown Airport future after legal advice leads to delays [Stuff, 14/09/19]


Richard Somerville (09/09/19)
Authorities in Queenstown have put off making changes to rules around the town’s airport after repeatedly failing to agree a strategy to deal with the impact of noise.
The airport’s governing document has been rejected three times by the council its major shareholder, which has now decided to leave any amendments until after the local body elections next month.
When Theelen released the legal advice on Friday he said the council’s August decision signalled it wished to consider changes that could affect the corporation’s direction.
The only legal control the council has over the corporation is through the annual statement of intent.
Legal advice from Meredith Connell recommended such changes should only be considered outside the period immediately prior to the local body election.