KEY POINTS:
Defence Minister Phil Goff has rebuffed an invitation from Waitakere Mayor Bob Harvey for talks about using Whenuapai Air Base for commercial flights.
Mr Goff said a number of issues surrounded joint use and it would be prudent to defer consideration of it until nearer to the time when the Air Force moves to Ohakea.
Defence estimates suggest that will be by 2014.
But Mr Harvey, who has pushed for a joint use in the four years since Defence announced a staggered withdrawal, yesterday vowed to press on despite the minister's wish to give the Air Force some breathing room to make its arrangements.
"I shrugged, we shrugged and times change ... " said Mr Harvey.
"We are in for the long haul and we ain't going away ... and I hope the Labour Government doesn't go away."
A change of government is seen as a block to plans to develop a second airport for Auckland at Whenuapai.
National Party leader John Key, as MP for Helensville, has dismissed the idea - much to the dismay of Waitakere and its partner, infrastructure investor Infratil, which runs Wellington Airport.
They won support from the councils of North Shore City and the Rodney District in October to band together to form a company to develop an airport.
The main opposition, the Whenuapai Airport Action Group (Waag) and various North Shore ratepayers' groups in the flight path, are now preparing to tackle Waitakere City's next move - to change the district plan to preserve the base for reuse as a commercial airport.
Waitakere will publicly notify the plan change before Christmas but will double the time for people to make their views known to 40 days, meaning a deadline of early March.
Mr Harvey said the plan change would be accompanied by a demonstration of the "real benefits" of an airport to the community.
"We hope that maybe a few people may come to their senses and realise that this should be supported, because otherwise, if the Air Force leaves, there will be 5000 houses there."
Waag president Russell Stewart said the plan change seemed premature in view of Mr Goff's assurances to the group that no steps had been taken by either Defence or himself to engage with the airport consortium about joint use.
Waag and the Greenhithe Residents and Ratepayers Association are challenging the legality of the North Shore council's decision to take a 10 per cent interest in a new North West Airport Company.
Mr Stewart said the council had not observed the requirements of the Local Government Act to consult the public about a proposal of significance.
The group was looking at the possibility of asking the Auditor-General to review the decision.
North Shore Mayor George Wood said he was certain the council was within the law.
