A second round of community consultation on the future of Wānaka Airport, designed to refine the public opinions already received, begins this week with drop in sessions at the airport and the Wānaka Rec Centre.

Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) is seeking further feedback from the community and stakeholders to evaluate the conflicting information gleaned from public submissions made in June and July this year.

The drop in sessions will present potential scenarios for the airport’s future use and the participants will be encouraged to ask questions and share their views to help form the next steps.

In July 2024 QLDC signalled its intention to develop a long-term plan for Wānaka Airport, and engaged consultants Egis to undertake the Wānaka Airport future review, considering its long-term role, its economic impact and its integration into NZ’s broader aviation network.

An Egis project team identified a series of possible scenarios for the airport’s potential future based on the feedback from the two initial public sessions held in June, (which attracted 180-200 participants) and over 260 online submissions.

A summary of the submissions indicated there was overwhelming support for the current uses and users of the airport and the possibility of attracting links to other NZ centres, such as Christchurch, Wellington or Auckland.

The most important outcomes identified for the airport’s future listed connectivity, recreational activity, and employment, and that the airport should be financially self-sustaining.

There were also a number of respondents who opposed further airport development.

Egis aviation lead Kerr Forbes said the initial public engagement produced a strong response from the community, stakeholders and representative groups.

“We are now seeing distinct scenarios that describe different potential future uses of the airport.”

The new consultation round will test both mutually exclusive scenarios as well as some complimentary options on the airport’s future.

“Airports are critical infrastructure that serve communities, so I encourage anyone with an interest in the future of Wānaka Airport to take part,” Kerr said.

Drop-in sessions will be held on this Friday (August 29) from 4.00pm–7.00pm at Alpine Helicopters, 10 Lloyd Dunn Ave, Wānaka Airport; and Saturday (August 30) from 9.00am–12.00pm at the Wānaka Recreation Centre meeting room, Three Parks.

Online feedback will open on Friday, August 29 and run until Thursday, September 18 for those unable to attend the sessions.

PHOTO: Supplied