Rod Drury group pitches for private Queenstown hospital and gondola

Former NZ Ski manager and Infrastructure Commissioner Ross Copland has launched a proposal to privately build a new Queenstown/Central Otago district hospital and a gondola transport system connecting the Queenstown CBD and Frankton.

The bold move is linked to Rod Drury's "better way" plan to fix Queenstown infrastructure and economic development via private enterprise - not council sourced or managed funding.

Mr Copland was revealed as part of this syndicate in a Rod Drury interview with Crux late last year.

Rod Drury told Crux today that the new hospital project is being fronted by Helen Foote.

Mr Copland has told local media that plans for both the hospital and gondola projects will be attached to a regional deal pitch to central Government by the combined Central Otago and Queenstown Lakes District Councils.

"However to speed them up (hospital and gondola) both would be funded by private interests."

Controversially Mr Copland has opted to avoid using the new Whoosh project for the gondola saying it is "in it's infancy and prohibitively expensive." Whoosh plans to launch a test project at Remarkables Park in the next few weeks. Mr Copland still reckons the gondola will cost $200 million.

The new hospital project includes full maternity and surgical services and Mr Copland says he's currently looking at four potential sites.

In his December Crux interview Mr Drury says only private enterprise can tackle these type of projects efficiently and attract overseas investment.

Crux will have further details on this story later today - January 23.

Read the full December interview with Rod Drury.