Climate activists pretended to die in front of Christchurch City councillors as they joined Tarras residents to oppose a planned Central Otago airport.

Christchurch Airport announced in July that it had bought land in the small town of Tarras and intended to build an airport there to unlock the nearby Queenstown tourism market.

Christchurch Airport is 75 per cent owned by the city council’s holding company, of which some councillors, including the mayor, sit on the board.

At the city council’s Finance and Performance Committee meeting on Thursday, three groups opposed to the airport questioned why the council-owned airport company was proposing a new airport when the council declared a climate emergency last year.

READ MORE:
* Blindsided Tarras landowners did not know they were selling land for an airport
* No airport for Tarras until Queenstown reaches capacity, airport boss says
* Proposed Tarras airport to be fourth for southern region
* Christchurch Airport’s Central Otago expansion plan new international option

Tarras resident Chris Goddard, representing local community group Sustainable Tarras, said the secrecy over the airport plans was not warranted.

“We’re flying blind, we do not actually know whether it’s a $2 billion development or less than $1b – $46 million dollars isn’t invested with no view to what the business case is,” he said.

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