Overturning the 100 Year QAC lease on Wanaka Airport
4 July 2020
As it stands, with the 100 year lease in place, the Upper Clutha community has almost no direct influence on the future of Wanaka Airport. Despite the impact on tourism and aviation of COVID-19, neither QLDC nor QAC show any signs of significantly changing their plans. “Off the table” just means a delay until the next tourist boom puts pressure on Queenstown airport’s growth constraints in 5, 10 or 15 years time. It took less than 10 years for tourism to recover from the 2008 financial crisis.
After 5-6 months of preparation (interrupted by lockdown), we are waiting on a hearing date and court location for the Judicial Review of the Wanaka Airport lease.
This is the Upper Clutha’s last chance to have a real say in the future of our airport, and we need to be financially ready for this. Our first funding target is to raise $20,000 through GAL. Core and committee members' work is voluntary/unpaid and funds raised go almost exclusively towards mounting the best legal case we can to get Wanaka Airport back in the hands of Upper Clutha people. We have a strong case and a strong legal team and any donation whether it is $20, $50, $100 or more is valuable.
Please contact us directly if you wish to discuss a donation or any assistance you can provide.