16 - 7 - 93 • Although the focus for nest season's Peter Jackson series will be on the Wigram, Manfeild, and Pukekohe (or Auckland street race) meetings, there will still be six meetings run, with alternative attractions for the meetings at Teretonga, Timaru, and Baypark. 20 - 7 - 93 Lease retain CHRISTCHURCH CEY Council sub-committee evaluating the future of Wigram wants the defence designation on the air base retained and the land leased to the city for aviation development. An option where Defence retained ownership of the base but leased out the site would prevent fragmentation of the 247ha complex and keep open the force's option to return if it wished, the committee's cochairman, Cr Morgan Fahey, said yesterday. The sub-committee, after yesterday considering an interim feasibility study • on future uses for the air base, is recommending the council work to retain wigram for aviation, recreational, and educational purposes. Cr Fahey said Christchurch could justify two airports because any developments at Wigram would be complementary to Christchurch International Airport, in which the city has a 75 per cent stake. A report before the committee identified about 18 aviation groups interested in using Wigram for tasks such as training commercial pilots for overseas airlines. Cr Fahey said the Minister of Finance, Miss Richardson, had indicated she wanted a smooth transition of Wigram from Defence to private uses. He believed Offer to Crown representatives will discuss the future of the Wigram air base with Ngai Tahu if the tribe advises the Government of its interest. There was no Cabinet directive that ail public land in the South Island being considered for disposal had to be offered to Ngai Tahu, the Minister in charge of Treaty of Waitangi negotiations, Mr Graham, said yesterday. The existence of a directive was alleged by the Christchurch City Council's senior pianner, Mr option for ing Wi By DAVE WILSON an open-ended moratorium on the disposal of the site would ease plans to make that transition. The council's senior planner, Mr Michael Reid, said retaining the defence uses designation would stop • the site splintenng into potentially 29 lots. Under the disposal process, the land must be offered back to its original owners, of which 29 potential claimants nad been identined. If the base was carved up into different lots, he was not optimistic Wigram could be run as an airport, because of the mix of landowners who would be involved. Mr Reid said that if the designation on Wigram was lifted and the council's lease proposal spurned, the city's fallback position was a possible offer to buy the base. Wigram's value was debatable, with figures from sio mitlion to $40 million being discussed, although Cr Fahey thought its value was dropping by the month. He said the city had to ensure that ratepayers' money was not risked. The next stage was to look at zoning changes and liaise with the Government and the Ngai Tahu Maori Trust Board, which tribe 'not Michael Reid, last week. Mr Graham said that while there was no directive, there was a clearance mechanism set up by the previous Labour Government. The arrangement was to notify Ngai Tahu if any public land came up for disposal. If Ngai Tahu indicated an interest, then the land would go into a land bank administered by the Department of Survey and Land Information. About two-thirds of the land that had come un had been gram has indicated an interest in acquiring the base. Cr Fahey said there was no conflict between the aviation plans and Ngai Tahu's possible uses for Wigram. Among the plans influencing the sub-committee's thinking is a proposal by the New Zealand Charters Consortium of Christchurch, which wants to develop Wigram as a centre for aviation training and technology. Cr Fahey said the plan was regarded seriously, being the most comprehensive presented to councillors. He expected the council would set up a task force to co-ordinate deeper investigations into viable uses for Wig- Cr Fahey said he was sure some potential users had not indicated their interest because there was no guarantee the city council would acquire the base. "We need to resolve that matter as a priority. But if the council leads, it will attract others. Historically, we have a moral obligation to retain the base. Commercially, there is a clear obligation to ensure that the withdrawal of the RNZAF in loss to the region. With a carefully co-ordinated plan, he believed it was possible for private users of Wigram to generate a greater economic benefit for the region than in the past. required' cleared for sale while the rest had gone into the land bank and sat there until settlement was reached, Mr Graham said. A cap of $40 million was put on the value of the property that could sit in the land bank at any one time. "It is just a convenience, " Mr Graham said. "It establishes the ones the Ngai Tahu doesn't want and holds the ones in which it has an interest until the issues can be talked through, ," he said.