Crux - The Podcast

Queenstown Airport Corporation chief executive Glen Sowry says that the airport should stay in community ownership and not be considered as part of any debt reduction by the Queenstown Lakes District Council.

In Wellington and Auckland councils are using the sale of their airport shares to reduce the burden of local government debt.

But Mr Sowry has told Crux that the airport contributes between $300 and $400 per ratepayer in council dividends each year, money that otherwise would produce further QLDC rates increases.

He adds that the airport has its own ability to borrow independently to pay for the expansion of terminal facilities or extra safety features, so there’s no risk of the airport increasing QLDC's debt burden.

Speaking in the latest Crux podcast episode Mr Sowry also reveals he is actively rationing flights into Queenstown in order to avoid congestion and the overloading of facilities and infrastructure.

He describes the system as “slot control”, where Queenstown Airport dictates landing slots to airlines, to avoid congestion, rather than giving airlines the freedom to select landing slots that simply suit their own schedules.

Mr Sowry says he has the leverage to do this as airline demand to fly into Queenstown exceeds supply.

Asked if there is a limit to Queenstown growth Mr Sowry says that until there is sufficient public transport and a reduction in road congestion growth needs to be managed.

“If we suddenly had sufficient infrastructure then our attitude to growth may be different.”

Speaking about the future of Wānaka Airport Mr Sowry says a community consultation process on that is to be managed by the QLDC, and then implemented by the QAC. He speculates, though, that the likely profile of Wānaka Airport would focus on the Air New Zealand ATR turbo prop fleet.

“I understand that Air New Zealand has no plans to introduce the type of small regional jets that are used widely in the United States, so the ATRs are perfect feeder aircraft to connect Wānaka with Wellington and Christchurch.”

Mr Sowry also explains in the Crux podcast how his style of open, transparent leadership has managed to improve the airport management culture in a relatively short period of time. 

"One of the things early in my tenure that we did was spent an awful lot of time listening to people about what their thoughts and perspectives were on the airport, what we did well, and what frustrated them. 

"A really common theme started to develop, and that was that people genuinely wanted to feel pride in their airport. I think understanding that we are 75 percent owned by QLDC, which in turn represents the ratepayers of the district, is a pretty important point to remember.

"We're here to serve the community, both the people that live here and the businesses that operate here. And there's a real balance around what the airport can and should be and, and equally, what it should not be. 

"We're very clear that we are a gateway to our region. We're increasingly important for people who choose to live here. And post the structural change that occurred in Covid, we're important for people who live here and commute to other cities, or even countries, to work.

"One of my main jobs is to be a guardian or custodian, if you like, of of this asset, to make sure that it's fit for purpose and will meet the needs of the community and our economy into the future."

This week's podcast also includes detail from Kim Bowden on the combined police and QLDC search warrant connected to the Skyline gondola, Lauren Pattemore's take on the ongoing dramas around parking in Arrowtown and a look at what makes the Bush Creek community ice rink project so special.

QLDC councillor Niki Gladding has described a split between elected members and both the Queenstown mayor and CEO, where the two sides don't meet or talk.

In the latest episode of the Crux podcast Councillor Gladding details how mayor Glyn Lewers has told elected members that they are "on their own" and effectively declared that he is not their leader.

"A turning point for councillors was when we realised what's been happening for the last year and a half.  We realised it's up to us to figure out how we operate as a council without a leader."

Councillor Gladding also told Crux that the Queenstown Lakes District Council senior managers have engineered a culture where community consultation is a box ticking exercise that "does not comply with the letter or the intent of the Local Government Act."

She says that the managers - the Executive Leadership Team (ELT) - are obsessive "almost at any cost" about delivering projects that are linked to the CBD Masterplan that Arrowtown consultants Rationale produced. 

"We've got a lot of lawyers and a lot of planners in our community. There's a lot of smart people out there who can see that something is not quite right about this. And of course, it's really starting to hit in terms of rates, we've obviously hit our debt limits now there's no money to do other things."

Listen to the full interview with Niki Gladding here, along with our regular review of the week's top stories.

QLDC councillor Niki Gladding has described a split between elected members and both the mayor and CEO, where the two sides don't meet or talk.

In the latest episode of the Crux podcast Councillor Gladding details how mayor Glyn Lewers has told elected members that they are "on their own" and effectively declared that he is not their leader.

"A turning point for councillors was when we realised what's been happening for the last year and a half.  We realised it's up to us to figure out how we operate as a council without a leader."

Councillor Gladding also told Crux that the Queenstown Lakes District Council senior managers have engineered a culture where community consultation is a box ticking exercise that "does not comply with the letter or the intent of the Local Government Act."

She says that the managers - the Executive Leadership Team (ELT) - are obsessive "almost at any cost" about delivering projects that are linked to the CBD Masterplan that Arrowtown consultants Rationale produced. 

"We've got a lot of lawyers and a lot of planners in our community. There's a lot of smart people out there who can see that something is not quite right about this. And of course, it's really starting to hit in terms of rates, we've obviously hit our debt limits now there's no money to do other things."

QLDC elected member Esther Whitehead has told Crux in this week's podcast that the way councillors "have been overridden, purposely or not" on Alliance roading budget blowouts is behind her decision not to stand in the next Queenstown local elections.

"We as councillors are held to account. I'm held to account as a councillor. Frankly I won't be putting myself in that position next term because I won't be standing. That's because I'm held to account but I have no control. The alliance has been proof of that, the way councillors have been overridden, purposely or not."

Ms Whitehead told Crux that an external review of roading alliance council oversight commissioned by the QLDC had not fully exposed deficiencies in the current system of governance.

She believes a different style of council leadership, with more openness, collaboration and "soft skills" could make a difference to the current QLDC culture.

This is virtually the same message that has come through in the first two Crux podcast episodes with councillors Cody Tucker and Matt Wong - total responsibility and no control.

Plus - in this week's podcast Peter Newport, Kim Bowden and Lauren Pattemore provide behind the scenes commentary on this week's top local news stories - residents struggling to pay their council rates and some positive public health news in Wānaka.

QLDC elected member Esther Whitehead has told Crux in this week's podcast that the way councillors "have been overridden, purposely or not" on Alliance roading budget blowouts is behind her decision not to stand in the next Queenstown local elections.

"We as councillors are held to account. I'm held to account as a councillor. Frankly I won't be putting myself in that position next term because I won't be standing. That's because I'm held to account but I have no control. The alliance has been proof of that, the way councillors have been overridden, purposely or not."

Ms Whitehead told Crux that an external review of roading alliance council oversight commissioned by the QLDC had not fully exposed deficiencies in the current system of governance.

She believes a different style of council leadership, with more openness, collaboration and "soft skills" could make a difference to the current QLDC culture.

This is virtually the same message that has come through in the first two Crux podcast episodes with councillors Cody Tucker and Matt Wong - total responsibility with no control.

Successful Queenstown businessman and first term councillor Matt Wong describes his worst day so far with the Queenstown Lakes District Council when over $100 million of leaky building debt hit the council earlier this year - "it was enough to wipe us out." Matt Wong also describes as a "quagmire" the often conflicted relationship between elected members and senior council managers. Plus Crux journalists Peter Newport and Kim Bowden delve into what was supposed to be an independent external report examining council management failures on a $128 million roading project. So why is the original report being kept secret and the public version subject to six rounds of council edits and changes? 

First term councillor Matt Wong says that the financial hit on the Queenstown Lakes District Council from the recent leaky building settlement has been enough to “wipe us out”.

In an interview with Crux, as part of a new podcast series, Councillor Wong says the worst day so far for him was the day of the Oaks Shores apartments settlement. The terms are confidential, but Councillor Wong says it’s cost ratepayers more than $100 million.

“That debt put us on the back foot straight away. That was enough to wipe us out. It wipes out our choices and our options. If you think about your own personal finances, when you've got nothing, you don't have many choices. You know, when you've got nothing in the bank, you just have to do what it takes to survive.”

29 year old Cody Tucker talks openly about the challenges of being a new Queenstown Lakes District councillor, representing Lake Hāwea. He speculates that trying to change some local issues from within the system is doomed to fail, who would make a good QLDC Wānaka mayor and wonders if we are all too scared of confrontation to actually face and fix the big social issues of the day. 

New Queenstown Lakes District Councillor Cody Tucker discusses the pain, and occasional satisfaction, of representing the Lake Hāwea community on our local council.  Peter Newport, Kim Bowden and Lauren Pattemore talk about the week's top stories including new worker accommodation at the BP roundabout, The Wānaka sports community missing out on funding that seems to be going just to Queenstown, the demolition of that famous toxic house on Ladies Mile and whether the Silverlight studio project is finally dead - or not.