Iwi groups and property owners will sit down together to discuss the future of Kāpiti Coast Airport. The airport land is part of Te Āti Awa’s ancestral lands, and also has significance for other iwi and hapū. Kāpiti Coast District Council on Thursday was set to vote on a plan to ask central government to buy the airport land and operate it in partnership with iwi. Before the meeting could formally begin, Iwi and Hapū members asked the council to delay a vote until after a meeting on November 11 with the Templeton Group, which owns the land as part of NZPropCo. Kāpiti Coast Mayor K Gurunathan is backing a small group of whānau from Ngāti Puketapu hapū asking the Crown to return their ancestral land which has been developed into the Kāpiti Airport. The future of the airport has been up in the air since August, when the owners warned it was facing “significant economic viability issues” and was considering rezoning some land for commercial development. Puketapu Hapū ki Paraparaumu spokesperson George Jenkins said a council vote before the meeting could have “pre-empted a negative reaction”. “We will be entering the meeting with the goal of friendship, the discussions will follow from there,” he said. The group's goal is to repatriate some, if not all, of their ancestral land. He said he would welcome a partnership with Templeton group which would allow the airport to keep operating with the support of Iwi. “This could be something grand, something the community can be proud of,” he said. “This is not just an opportunity to be on the right side of history, but an opportunity to make history right.” The land was compulsorily acquired in 1939 under the Public Works Act and used to build a military aerodrome for World War II. After the war, the aerodrome became Paraparaumu Airport – the busiest civilian airport in New Zealand between 1947 and 1959. The Government sold the airport to private owners in 1995, despite a recommendation that the land should be offered back to its original owners at market value. Puketapu has an open claim with the Waitangi Tribunal looking for redress for the land that was not offered back to descendants and was instead passed into private ownership. If successful, a cash settlement could be made by the Office of Treaty Settlements that it could use to buy back in. Kāpiti Coast District Council has already passed an official resolution supporting returning the ancestral airport land to its original owners, but had not yet laid out any specifics for how that would be done. A council report found there was significant interest to both the iwi and the wider community in keeping the airport operating. “It is appropriate for the council to advocate to central government that the airport should remain both for its strategic value and to link that value to potential avenues of redress for Treaty settlements,” the report found. The report also recommended officers investigate whether other options could be identified for supporting iwi and community interest in the airport land. Kāpiti Mayor K (Guru) Gurunathan and Porirua Mayor Anita Baker have both previously written to Government Ministers in an attempt to keep the airport running, arguing it is vital as an emergency runway for Wellington Airport. A response from Transport Minister Phil Twyford said the airport was privately owned and the Government was not involved in the airport owner’s commercial decisions.
This blog started off by focussing on NZ's smaller 3rd level airlines, past and present. It has evolved to trying to present some record of NZ's domestic airline operations and some of the larger charter operators, interesting NZ international airliner movements and photos I have taken around the country. Comments, corrections or contributions are welcome, Steve - westland831@gmail.com
30 October 2020
Air Rarotonga update
29 October 2020
One photo at PMR
28 October 2020
GA @ WAG
The highlight was Titan T51 Mustang ZK-LSD |
Classic Cessna 150 ZK-CTF |
Piper Tomahawk ZK-FRS |
Stoddard-Hamilton SH-2 Glasair ZK-JDL |
Cessna 172 ZK-JIP |
Cessna 182 ZK-OFC |
In the hangar... DH Tiger Moth ZK-BEF |
Another classic Cessna 150, ZK-CTG |
Maule ZK-JQY |
Denney Kitfox ZK-KIT |
26 October 2020
IFR Machines at Whanganui
25 October 2020
More from Dunedin
Airbus 320 ZK-OJR backing tracking after arriving from Auckland as NZ675 |
Airbus 320 ZK-OAB airborne for Wellington as NZ684 |
My ride for the first sector home, Air New Zealand ATR 72-600 arriving from Christchurch as NZ5752 |
The New Zealand Airline Academy's Tecnam P2008 ZK-MBN about to head home to Oamaru |
And the last flights in Dunedin from my seat on the plane Mainland Air's ZK-JAS back from its training mission |
24 October 2020
Mainland Flyer
I had an opportunity to catch up with Phil Kean at Mainland Air at Dunedin's Momona airport on Thursday 22 October 2020. Despite lockdown and restrictions Mainland Air continues to be a hive of activity... long may it continue!
Piper Seneca ZK-JAS was going for some training... Smile Phil, you never know when there is a camera pointed at you |
Having a rest day... Piper Chieftain ZK-KVW |
Even though Mainland Air have had Cessna 152 ZK-NPE for quite 11 years I have never taken it with their markings. |
Meanwhile Cessna 152 ZK-NSM I have regularly photographed |
New on the block for Mainland Air is Cessna 172 ZK-RQZ. |
I was disappointed Piper Tomahawk ZK-EQX that is on the line for Mainland Air taxied out just as I arrived at the airport so I didn't get it. There's always next time!
22 October 2020
Masterton - New Airline Service Gets Green Light
The Dominion, 22 October 1980 |
Christchurch Stopover
I had an hour and a bit between flights at Christchurch last evening, the 21st of October 2020...
Canterbury Aviation's Cessna 180 ZK-JCW came in and dropped off a passenger at the terminal |
Life Flight's BAe Jetstream 32 was on an air ambulance flight |
Sounds Air's Pilatus PC12 ZK-PLT arrived in from Blenheim |
Air New Zealand's Bombardier Q300 ZK-NEU arriving from Hokitika |
21 October 2020
No SPANZ DC-3
20 October 2020
Air Chat's ATR Flying Scheduled to Christchurch
Air Chathams commenced scheduled ATR 72 operations into Christchurch with ZK-MCO flying the weekly flight from the Chathams to the Garden City, flight 3C 514 and the return flight 3C 541.
Thanks to the two spotters from Christchurch who kindly sent in their capturing of the first Christchurch flight...
And a note to Air Chats, some decent titles would look good!
19 October 2020
Hamilton for Lunch
It was a gray and gloomy day outside but all sunny yellow inside as Hamilton airport prepared to welcome its first Originair flight |
Originair's BAe Jetstream 32 on touchdown of Hamilton's Runway 36 |
Welcome to Hamilton |
Palmerston North airport departures... |
Hamilton airport arrivals... |