Tensions were high at Nelson City Council yesterday as the controversial plan that would allow Nelson Airport to extend its runway north was only narrowly approved.
There were claims of intimidation by the mayor and half a dozen points of order were raised as elected members found themselves wedged between a legislative requirements and community opposition.
The council delegated its responsibility for hearing submissions on the proposal to an independent panel of commissioners due to the council’s conflicting roles as a 50% shareholder of the airport and as the regulatory authority.
Last week, the panel formally recommended to the council that the airport’s plan be approved after deliberating on the public’s submissions.
Under legislation, the council has extremely limited grounds under which it could reject the panel’s recommendations and council staff did not believe that threshold had been reached.
Nelson’s elected members met on Thursday discuss the recommendation and some had deep concerns about the process.
Councillors Tim Skinner and Campbell Rollo attempted to let the topic lie until mid-February to give elected members time to “digest” the recommendations and to “better understand” the potential implications of approving the plan.
That idea was strongly opposed by Mayor Nick Smith who, during a break in the meeting, told Rollo he believed the move was “reckless” – an interaction which councillor Trudie Brand later suggested was “intimidation” by the mayor.
Smith said delaying approval could undermine the quasi-legal process the plan has gone through and open the council up to $800,000 of legal risk.
Other elected members decisively rejected letting the topic lie and then engaged in a debate deputy mayor Rohan O’Neill-Stevens described as “fractious and painful” after it was punctuated by multiple claims of misrepresentation of councillors’ comments.
The runway extension would have several impacts on the Tāhunanui suburb, including housing insecurity for long-term residents of a nearby holiday park, extra rules for development in some areas, a small increase in noise, and the re-configuration of a neighbouring golf course.
Given the extent of the impact on the suburb, many in the community felt abandoned by the council when it delegated its responsibility for hearing submissions to the commissioners, rather than ensuring elected members heard the submissions directly.
Rollo, as the Tāhunanui liaison councillor, said the council had missed a step with residents and had caused “stress, emotion, and hurt between people”.
Councillor Mel Courtney highlighted the plight of the long-term residents living at the Tāhuna Beach Holiday Park who, due to a bureaucratic oversight, are established unlawfully and therefore were not able to be considered by the hearing panel.
“We have community voices being discounted,” he said. “Natural justice … has not prevailed here.”
Nelson Airport has said future low-emission aircraft will be heavier and therefore need a longer runway, so the plan would allow the airport to reduce its emissions.
But councillor Aaron Stallard and Rachel Sanson had concerns that the plan didn’t hold the airport to that position and could simply allow the indefinite use fossil fuel aircraft.
Councillors Matthew Benge, Mel Courtney, Campbell Rollo, Rachel Sanson, Tim Skinner, and Aaron Stallard voted against approving the plan.
But they were outvoted by one by Mayor Nick Smith, deputy mayor Rohan O’Neill-Stevens, and councillors Matty Anderson, Trudie Brand, James Hodgson, Kahu Paki Paki, Pete Rainey.
Smith was comfortable approving the plan given the “incredibly thorough” hearing process during which the panel considered 471 submissions and about 1600 issues contained within.
“The commissioners were satisfied that the extension was a good case.”
A longer runway would support “an incredibly important piece of infrastructure” for the region and increase efficiency and stimulate growth, he added.
Deputy mayor Rohan O’Neill-Stevens said the council had no legal justification to reject the panel’s recommendations.
If the council wanted to lower air travel emissions or guide the airport’s engagement with the Tāhuanui community, they said the council could have that discussion later as shareholder of the airport, but that Thursday’s decision was about following a legal process.
“We won’t get exactly what we want in this process, because that’s not what this process is about.”
The runway extension proposal formed two parts – Private Plan Change 30 and the Notice of Requirement.
According to legislation, the council can approve the plan change but can only recommend to the airport that it confirm the notice of requirement, both of which the council did on Thursday.
Nelson Airport chief executive Brendan Cook was pleased the council had accepted the panel’s recommendations.
“The next step is for us to spend some time working through the council’s recommendation to us on the notice of requirement before making a final decision on it.”
The plan change and notice of requirement would together safeguard the airport’s operations to ensure the economic and social well-being of the region, he added.
David Pattinson, chief executive of the Tāhuna Beach Holiday Park, said that while he was “very disappointed” by the panel’s recommendations, he was encouraged by comments made by the council’s chief executive on Thursday that none of the park’s long-term residents would be made homeless because of the airport’s plan.
However, he feared that those living in caravans would not be able to take advantage of the airport’s noise mitigation programme.
“We will take time to further analyse the recommendations and consider our options.”
Tāhunanui Business and Citizens Association chair Jacinda Stevenson said the plan would have a “major impact” on Tāhunanui.
“This proposal in our opinion is going to place a huge debt on the ratepayers and users of the airport.”
The association believed the airport should have used arrester beds rather than trying to extend the runway to address safety concerns.
The plan can still be appealed at the Environment Court.
Local Democracy Reporting is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air
