Steps to improve the fortunes of an embattled Fiordland airport have been lambasted during a heated council debate.
Today, Southland district councillors met to discuss the next move in the Te Anau Airport Manapouri review, which began in 2023.
The review looks to address issues at a facility which has run at a loss since its inception and recorded shortfalls of $217,000 to almost $320,000 across the last five years alone.
At a December meeting of the Fiordland Community Board, a decision was made to activate phase two of the review — a business case from Great South to the tune of $324,180 plus GST, on top of more than $170,000 already spent.
But that decision needed final approval from the council, and hit a speed bump at today’s meeting.
Te Anau Airport User Group (TAUG) representative Debbie Garlick presented to councillors, decrying past decisions and the proposed spend for the next phase.
Garlick said TAUG spoke for all leaseholders at the airport and had lost all confidence in current management there.
The user group had asked for a seat at the governance table but had been denied, she said, despite members being involved at numerous airports around the world.
“Fiordland Community Board appointed a governance group made up of people with zero knowledge of the general running of a small airport, to oversee the Te Anau Manapouri Airport review.”
Councillor Derek Chamberlain did not hold back in his assessment of the situation, saying money was being wasted on consultants.
“There is a lot of frustration in the Fiordland area about the cost of this airport, it’s been ongoing for years,” he said.
“I think the frustration is starting to boil over.”
Councillor Don Byars was surprised TAUG hadn’t been included in efforts to turn the airport around and felt the community had been ignored.
“The community’s losing faith in the ability of council to manage projects,” he said.
Council group manager infrastructure and capital delivery Fran Mikulicic said there had been much engagement with user groups including community surveys, open days at the airport and business association discussions.
But she conceded it may not have reached all the right groups.
Other councillors talked about the problem of going against a community board decision and how deferring a decision on the funding would put things back to status quo.
It was ultimately decided that the council would respond to a letter from TAUG and propose that the governance group meet with them in the next four weeks to agree on a path forward during the next phase.
Te Anau Airport Manapouri was constructed in the 1960s by Mount Cook Air and bought by the council in 2002 for $401,000.
The airport sells itself as the gateway to Fiordland National Park.
One idea for improving its outlook is to create new homes in airport hangars.
LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air
