Author Archives: Benoit Pette

NEWS: Pilots take runway battle to High Court

A plane is 29 times more likely to overshoot the runway at Wellington Airport than at Auckland, the High Court in Wellington has been told. A plane lands at Wellington Airport earlier in 2015. Photo: RNZ / Alexander Robertson The New Zealand Airline Pilots’ Association has gone to court asking for long safety margins atContinueContinue reading “NEWS: Pilots take runway battle to High Court”

RE-BLOG Strathmore Park: Swampy Marsh enters the Airport Extension debate and suffers an ironic injury

Simon Marsh launched into David Lee this morning in an Op Ed in the Dominion Post about the airport extension. He accused his colleague of shooting himself in the foot. In a scene that reminded me of Yosemite Sam hunting Porky Pig, Swampy waved his guns around and managed to shoot himself in the foot. AContinueContinue reading “RE-BLOG Strathmore Park: Swampy Marsh enters the Airport Extension debate and suffers an ironic injury”

MEDIA RELEASE: Runway extension undermined by economic and sea level rise factors

News that Wellington Airport (WIAL) will shortly release a business case on the proposed airport runway extension is to be welcomed as a step to greater transparency. But how much transparency will it actually deliver? The tired mantra of ‘300 metres for $300 million’ has been around for a long time now, while plans haveContinueContinue reading “MEDIA RELEASE: Runway extension undermined by economic and sea level rise factors”

OPINION Dr Sea Rotmann: WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A MOA POINTER

After a recent Dom Post article that asserted that the Wellington Airport is ‘gifting’ Moa Point residents $10,000 out of the goodness of their heart, some ugly attacks were made (including in the key letter featured in the Dom Post on October 8). I’d like to set the record straight about what it means toContinueContinue reading “OPINION Dr Sea Rotmann: WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A MOA POINTER”

Opinion Stan Andis: The Funding Circus

The year was 2013, a few days after written submissions followed by oral submissions had closed against the 2013/2014 Draft Annual Plan. The ink on the pages of the Draft Plan had not had time to dry while awaiting approval by the Council. The opening agenda item of the 29th May 2013 Wellington City CouncilContinueContinue reading “Opinion Stan Andis: The Funding Circus”

What exactly is happening with the Council funding the airport runway extension?

Some interesting developments have recently happened in the runway extension saga and we are going to have to start asking some serious questions about the Council’s involvement with the airport. Not just the conflict of our Mayor being a Director on the airport board and behaving as such a Director would, including doing everything inContinueContinue reading “What exactly is happening with the Council funding the airport runway extension?”

All the reports from the airport so far

We dug up the second arrangement between the Council and the airport, where the Council agreed to fund the airport with an extra $1.95m towards fast-tracking the runway extension through a board of inquiry process. It’s a fascinating read, especially when you look at how badly the airport misjudged the initial costings and how itContinueContinue reading “All the reports from the airport so far”

Keeping the Airport honest is as hard as catching tadpoles with your bare hands

We need to state upfront that we do appreciate that the Wellington International Airport Limited (WIAL) is a corporation, one run by its majority shareholder Infratil, and as such has specific mandates to fulfil for its shareholders. Corporate law dictates corporate purpose – which is to make money for its shareholders. It basically says thatContinueContinue reading “Keeping the Airport honest is as hard as catching tadpoles with your bare hands”

Stan Andis: Wellington Airport Comes to Town

It was only a matter of hours prior to my being informed that a presentation by Wellington Airport was to take place before a Council meeting on Tuesday 4th August, 2015. The topic was a (long overdue!) update on progress relating to the Airport Extension Runway – which the Council had paid almost $3m for.ContinueContinue reading “Stan Andis: Wellington Airport Comes to Town”