Images of a new international airport in Central Otago have been released.
We should state the benefits of the existing Queenstown airport squarely: over three decades it has generated a radial wealth effect from Kingston in the south to Wanaka and Hawea to the west and Cromwell to the east. The economic and social uplift has been massive and generated untold riches in both tourism operations and real estate. That doesn’t mean there will be similar economic benefits by building another one within just over an hours’ drive of the first one.
Queenstown Airport is investing to ensure greater throughout of passengers without expanding its daytime operational limits, and this masterplan is supported by the QLDC public.
Air travel makes 12% of New Zealand’s climate emissions compared to about 3% as a global average.
Christchurch Airport claims to be emissions positive, better than carbon neutral. Which is as dishonest as saying Fonterra is carbon neutral despite its tens of thousands of suppliers generating over a third of New Zealand’s emissions: New Zealand’s international airports are built to enable tonnes of airline petrol to be burnt for thousands and thousands of kilometres across the world. And what CIAL is proposing is to build another one designed for Australian-haul bulk flights here.
Christchurch Council the democratic governors over Christchurch Holdings is supposed to be going for carbon zero as well.
I call bullshit on that.
There is no good reason for this proposal to go ahead.
Christchurch Airport chose the site of about 800 hectares because of its “good connectivity” to popular tourist areas such as Cromwell, Queenstown and Alexandra.
Academics have already started to rehearse their Consent hearing arguments against the CHL proposal.
Locals from Cromwell and Wanaka are in great majority opposed, against rehearsing the consent hearings predicted through the Central Otago Regional Council and Otago Regional Council, and of course through Commissioners.
RNZ had an interview with an informed local recently which makes for informative listening.
The word on the street is this: National upon taking power, at Christchurch International’s behest, will bypass the Natural and Built Environment Act passed a fortnight ago (despite its fast track consenting procedures), and go straight for a specific enabling legislation similar to that generated for Auckland Airport.
This is a way of shutting out democratic or other impact inputs, and rolling out the tarmac ready as soon as possible. CIAL knows it needs to cut out as much local and expert input as possible to make their massive investment work. It’s usually used when there’s something major we need to deal with on the horizon like a Rugby World Cup or America’s Cup – and even then often chooses existing procedures (as America’s Cup preferred in 2017-19).
A united Labour+Greens effort is needed to drag down in Parliament no matter who wins in October.
Notably the Crown still owns 25% of Christchurch Airport. So hopefully MBIE and Treasury are up front and honest about their dealings with CIAL in their upcoming Briefing to Incoming Ministers.
New Zealand does not need another international airport.
New Zealand needs an actual joined-up conversation about tourism travel, burnt air fuels and their 12% climate pollution, and the climate change damage we are already getting here. Airlines need to come into the carbon trading system, which would be a shitfight like agriculture sure, but one we need to have.
I’m looking forward to helping defeat the Tarras International Airport.
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