KEY POINTS:
North Shore City's intention to pull out of a company to run a commercial airport at Whenuapai won't kill the deal with investor partner Infratil, says Waitakere Mayor Bob Harvey.
Reacting to new North Shore Mayor Andrew Williams' rejection of the airport proposal, Mr Harvey said it was
the city's loss.
Mr Harvey said its neighbour asked to join the club last year under George Wood's leadership.
"We were happy to have them aboard, but we will go ahead if they pull out. It won't affect what we do.
"The only difference is that North Shore will lose the economic benefits of being a part-owner and that is sad for their ratepayers because there is the potential of earning a dividend."
Mr Harvey said he was disappointed with North Shore's withdrawal, but his council would carry on with the resource consent process for establishing a special airport zone.
This would mean the present Air Force base could be used only for an airport, rather than subdivided for housing or, as Mr Harvey recently suggested, a new prison.
Before last weekend's election, North Shore council was split over its joining the company, because the city was going to be under the flight path.
Yesterday, Mayor Williams said most of the new council opposed a commercial airport.
"Please send us the figures, Bob, but any benefits of an airport won't outweigh the noise and pollution adverse effects these planes will bring.
"I don't think you can place money ahead of the effects on the North Shore lifestyle."
Neighbouring Rodney's new mayor, Penny Webster, could not say whether her district council would stay in the company.
"I understand we're not paying anything but I have not asked eight new councillors what they think and we have some real issues to deal with here like water supplies, sewerage reticulation, roading and juggling the needs of communities."
Mr Harvey said there had been a great deal of misinformation about the airport proposal.
A recent example, he said was a map, published in the Herald, showing the whole of the North Shore under flightpaths to Whenuapai.
"That was utter nonsense. Unfortunately it was typical of the dishonesty we have to contend with."
The author of the map, Whenuapai Airbase Action Group president Russell Stewart, a retired airline pilot, said: "There is nothing dishonest about our map. I've shown it to a variety of pilots and they agreed it was perfectly possible.
"And whilst [the extent of flight paths] may not be the case in the first year or two, it will undoubtedly be the case in the fullness of time."
Mr Stewart said the North Shore election result was a landslide victory for anti-airport candidates and sent a clear message to Mr Harvey and the Government that a commercial airport was unwanted.
Councils are shareholders in the North West Auckland Airport company but none is required to contribute funds to the development of the airbase for civil use, Infratil says.
But the councils could receive a share of profits if the development turns out to be sufficiently successful.
The previous North Shore council lamented the lack of a business case for the airport company to help its decision on whether to support it.
