The cancellation of the Sounds Air passenger service from Wānaka to Christchurch is likely to have little impact on visitor arrivals for Wānaka, but a significant impact on local people who travel to access healthcare.

Sounds Air managing director Andrew Crawford told RNZ on Monday (July 21) that people travelling to Christchurch to access healthcare was “a big part of the business” for the service, which will no longer operate from the end of September due to “out of control” aviation costs.

Read more: ‘Out of control costs’ - Sounds Airs cancels Wānaka flights

Wānaka resident Ed told the Wānaka App he and his family had driven to Christchurch 17 times in a three month period to access healthcare for one of their children. 

Christchurch Hospital was the only place in the South Island providing the services their child needed, he said.

During that time Health NZ also offered to pay for one family member to fly to Christchurch via Sounds Air, which the family was able to take advantage of twice.

“Losing that ability to travel quickly from here [via Sounds Air] is huge,” Ed said.

“It was just amazing to go from five minutes down the road and be in Christchurch in an hour’s time. It was a really, really useful service for us.”

“By road it’s five and a half or six hours, factoring in breaks” and depending on road conditions, he said.

“[It’s] one of the down sides of being in Wānaka.”

Ed said it was telling that Health NZ was willing to pay for someone to travel to a hospital 500kms away, rather than paying for services to be provided here.

Health Action Wānaka (HAW) steering committee chair Monique Mazye said HAW was “very aware of the barriers people face due to the distances they have to travel to access healthcare”.

“We are continuing to advocate for more local services as well as equitable access to any new infrastructure that might be recommended for our region as a result of Health NZ's clinical services planning,” she told the Wānaka App.

A five to six hour trip to Christchurch for healthcare is “one of the downsides of being in Wānaka”, says one local.

Health NZ began a clinical services review this month, which will look at how needs have changed in this region, with clinical services “the priority” and the location of a regional hospital “the fundamental point of the review”, Health NZ chief medical officer David Gow said at a recent rural health roadshow in Wānaka.

Read more: ‘No hope of much change’ following health roadshow

Monique said HAW is also advocating for a review of the National Travel Assistance scheme, which she said “is completely inadequate and inequitable for people in our community who might choose to make the journey to Christchurch via road once the air service ceases”.

Lake Wānaka Tourism and Destination Queenstown chief executive Mat Woods told the Wānaka App the cancellation of the route “should have minimal impact on visitor arrivals”, as international and North Island domestic visitors are likely to use Queenstown Airport, while South Island domestic visitors are more likely to drive. 

While the cancellation was “disappointing”, Mat said, “it presents an opportunity for another carrier to consider introducing a route that connects the Wānaka community with other parts of the country”.

The Sounds Air cancellation also has an impact on the future review of Wānaka Airport, which is currently underway.

“Further community engagement on the future of Wānaka Airport will open from next month and it's important that Wānaka residents participate to ensure they have a say,” Mat said.

Read more: ‘Robust discussions’ at airport consultation sessions

Wānaka Upper Clutha Community Board chair Simon Telfer said regional connectivity was “a key theme” in the first round of community engagement for the Wānaka Airport Future Review.

PHOTOS: Supplied