What do the six candidates vying to become mayor of our district really know about the Upper Clutha?

The Wānaka App asked Al Angus, Glyn Lewers, Jon Mitchell, Daniel Shand, Neeta Shetty, and Olivia Wensley, who all want to be mayor of the Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC), questions about this area, covering airports, speed limits, and other issues, 

Here are their answers.  

How do you see the future of Wanaka Airport?

All the candidates said they supported the Wānaka community determining the future of its airport.

“I don't want to see growth there. The community has made it loud and clear that it's not what they want,” Olivia said, while Al said: “Personally I'd like to see it remain pretty well as is. With a powerful group of far sighted and intelligent locals steering its future.”  

Glyn said its future should be decided “smartly” by the community in order to secure funding into the next 10 year plan (in June 2024). “If the Wānaka Upper Clutha community wants turboprop services to the North Island I am happy to lead and make this happen.”

Wānaka Airport PHOTO: Esther Small

Neeta was clear she did not want Wānaka Airport to grow to become an international airport, which would not be “in line with the aesthetics and values of Wānaka”. She said it would be hypocritical to support the development of Wānaka Airport “and still pledge a responsibility to climate change and means to control mass tourism”. 

“If large changes are being made to Wanaka Airport, I'll take that issue to the public for their input,” Daniel said.

Jon also supported adding capacity to the airport.

“From my perspective, as someone who often works remotely from Queenstown Lakes and commutes to other parts of the country and further afield for my work, often alongside Upper Clutha residents doing the same, adding capability and services to Wānaka airport that reduces the need to drive over the hill, struggling to find a carpark, then drive back again, to get flights less travel time away, only makes sense.   

“Ideally the promise that Sounds Air have made to be at the cutting edge of zero-emission commuter flying will touch down soon.” 

What's your view on CIAL's proposal to develop an international airport at Tarras?

None of the candidates support Christchurch International Airport’s proposal.

“I don’t see how the proposal stacks up commercially, economically, socially, or environmentally,” Jon said.

He said the only benefit of the proposal so far was it has got people talking about the future of air transport in the Otago-Southland region, and the Queenstown Lakes and Central Otago districts in particular. 

There was no support for the development of an international airport at Tarras. PHOTO: Wānaka App

“We need to be involved in regional planning for the future of air, land, and water-based transport in the region, in an open-minded way. Any future airport development will be dependent on integrated land transport planning and infrastructure investment. Airports cannot be considered in isolation from their respective communities and the wider environment.” 

Olivia said she was firmly against the proposal. “We don't need wide-bodied jets coming into the region. I want to build a regional economy that isn't so heavily focused on higher tourism numbers. We must protect our beautiful environment.”

Al said he was “not a fan”: “Its sole purpose is to force feed mass tourism into Wānaka with the overflow spreading out through the district. The load on our already strained infrastructure would break it.” 

And Glyn said it would be an ecological disaster. “No amount of greenwashing by CIAL can gloss over the enabled and embodied carbon required outside of its boundaries to service the airport.” 

Neeta said an airport at Tarras would be “a monumental waste of money, especially in our current times”. 

The argument that Queenstown Airport has noise control boundaries and isn't a wide-body jet capable airport that can cater to long-haul flights does not provide indisputable justification for Tarras. With the Tarras airport, there are strong indications that Queenstown Airport will lose its niche. It takes away the experience and revenue of our visitor's landing directly within our region.” 

Daniel said he would speak to the local community in Tarras and “vote in line with the majority and their wishes”.

Where do you stand on the council's recently implemented 40kph speed limits on local urban roads?

There were some differences in opinion on this issue. Daniel said he didn’t think the public had been adequately consulted on the changes; Olivia said it needed a rethink, and the limits make sense in some areas while in others “it is just revenue collection”.

“Looking at the overall flow of traffic throughout the district will be really important going forward in regard to roundabouts etc,” she said.

Glyn took the [disputed] council line that the changes were the result of “strong arm from the central government forcing us to implement these changes under the zero harm policy”. 

There was a mix of views about the 40kph speed limit. PHOTO: Wānaka App

“I would rather see the focus in funding directed towards public transport and active travel in Wānaka Upper Clutha. The 40km/hr limit [is] acceptable around Ardmore and Helwick streets, but I do struggle with the limit when we venture further out of the CBD.”

Al wasn’t bothered (“I think it's OK, although most of us can tell a safe speed without having it enforced by law, the up and down rural speed limits are a nut job”), while Jon said it isn’t something he had thought much about.  

“Queenstown Lakes has now caught up with where much of the rest of the country has been for quite some time… Slowing down a little though, taking a little more care with how we drive in our communities, is probably a good thing in the big picture, as we try to encourage more active transport on our road network and our local health services are marginal.”   

Neeta said it was reassuring “if the roads are demonstrably safer with the 40kph speed”, but said “the arbitrary way” the council changes the speed limit was frustrating.

“Communication from QLDC is poor and the requirement to be more engaged with the community on these issues is crucial. The dismissive attitude of QLDC implying that people resist change is patronising. A more productive approach is to put out public notices and a press release that clearly states the objective and purpose of the council reforms.”

Other comments on issues facing the Upper Clutha

Candidates said they were keen to strengthen Wānaka’s voice within the wider district.

Olivia said she was disappointed at how the Upper Clutha community had been treated by QLDC, and “ignored on issues of concern”. 

She said campaign promises about buses made in the last election weren’t honoured.

“I'd like to see the community board have a better budget and more autonomy - I am a firm believer in local decision-making (which is why I'm strongly opposed to Three Waters).

“My primary focus will be to rebuild the trust in the council - I'm determined that I won't let the Upper Clutha be disappointed like they have been in the past.”

Jon supported “re-enabling the Wānaka Upper Clutha Community Board to make decisions on behalf of its communities, rather than acting as a barrier between communities and council” as critical to the future of the Upper Clutha. 

He supported establishing a full QLDC office in the Upper Clutha to “connect the communities with the council, providing local expertise of local contexts to QLDC, supporting the community board, and ensuring that there is capability in the Upper Clutha to help build community resilience, capability, and support in the event of emergencies”. 

Neeta also supported “an active council voice in Wānaka” that celebrates the Upper Clutha region. 

“The needs of Wānaka are different to those of Queenstown and the rest of the district - thus identifying, recognising, and actioning Wānaka’s needs must be a priority. Upper Clutha needs an involved leadership presence that preserves the integrity and uniqueness of the region.”

Glyn said Upper Clutha has “some great opportunities in the coming three years”, and the council can “plan and secure funding to deliver an airport that provides services that the community wants”. 

“The next three years we can develop a plan for the recreational use of Mt Iron, something to be very excited about, and an opportunity for the area to look forward and involve as many community groups as possible. The main issue that I would like to lead is introducing some public transport to Upper Clutha.”