Tarras Airport resident survey finds residents against Central Otago development

A survey of Upper Clutha locals has found the majority are against controversial plans for a new airport in Central Otago.

More than 80 per cent of the region’s surveyed residents and businesses are against the proposed Tarras Airport, a study has found - almost 10 per cent more opposition than two years earlier.

It comes after Christchurch Airport released an in-depth report which confirmed the runway would impact the Central Otago village, which has fewer than 300 residents.

The desire to build an airport is predicated on the region’s projected demand for flight connections in the next 30 years.

Research shows it will exceed the South Island’s current airport capacity by 2040.

More than 80 per cent of the region’s surveyed residents and businesses are against the proposed Tarras Airport, a study has found.

Christchurch Airport, in the report, mentioned the environmental impact of not building the site, saying that as Central Otago tourism increases, more people will travel by car to reach parts of the region, increasing fuel emissions.

Building the airport is believed to fix both these issues.

But a new survey conducted by Wānaka Stakeholders Group after the details were revealed canvassed the opinions of 608 people in Upper Clutha.

A total of 82.7 per cent of respondents opposed plans for the airport, while nearly 70 per cent were “thoroughly opposed” to the idea.

It also revealed roughly 96 per cent of respondents thought the Upper Clutha should be involved in the decision-making process for any new airport.

Community members feel “very concerned” about the same issues, according to the group’s chairwoman Meg Taylor.

Meg Taylor said community members feel “very concerned” about the same issues.

“We last surveyed members over two years ago, and there has been further growth in concern since then,” she said.

“We’ve seen significant increases in the proportion of community members opposed, as well as the demand for our community to be closely consulted and involved in decision-making.”

Taylor said the residents feel the same level of concern about the same issues as two years ago, despite the project research being made public.

Those concerns include climate change, over-tourism, the environmental impact and strain on the district’s infrastructure.

Between 79 and 81 per cent of respondents expressed concern about each issue.

She found it “telling” that the results had not changed since the last survey for those who owned and operated businesses in the district, including tourism businesses.

“Nearly a third of our respondents own or manage a business in Central Otago, and over 13 per cent are tourism businesses,” said Taylor.

“We agree with them that this is not just a Tarras issue, but [it] will impact the wider region, bringing visitors on a scale not seen before.”

Christchurch Airport chose the site, of about 800 hectares, because of its “good connectivity” to popular tourist spots such as Queenstown, Cromwell and Alexandra.

Taylor believes the proposal is not aligned with the ‘quality over quantity’ approach endorsed by the community in its destination management plan.

“Our view is that managing tourism numbers is the key to maintaining the value of our destination both for residents and for visitor experience.”

Christchurch Airport hopes the proposed new site would bring overseas tourists to a part of the country where nearly $3.8 billion was spent in the year ending March 2020.

The desire to build an airport in Central Otago is based on the region’s projected demand for flight connections in the next 30 years.

Research shows it will exceed the South Island’s current airport capacity by 2040.

Christchurch Airport also mentioned the environmental impact of not building the site, saying that, as Central Otago tourism increases, more people will travel by car to reach parts of the region, increasing fuel emissions.

Building the airport is believed to fix both these issues.