The debate over whether or not public money should be invested in the extension of Wellington International Airport’s (WIAL) runway is starting to heat up. Despite project studies only being released to the public this week, city councils across the region have already indicated they will provide financial support towards the $330 million cost. AtContinueContinue reading “REBLOG Genius Net: No Public Funding For Runway White Elephant Please”
Category Archives: Blog Post
REBLOG Croaking Cassandra: What if they build it and no one comes?
A throwaway line of mine a couple of weeks ago about the Wellington City Council’s enthusiasm for the proposed airport runway extension prompted a couple of comments here from Tim Brown, chair of Wellington International Airport Limited (WIAL) – owned 66 per cent by Infratil and 34 per cent by the Wellington City Council. AsContinueContinue reading “REBLOG Croaking Cassandra: What if they build it and no one comes?”
SOME REAL FACTS ABOUT THE AIRPORT EXTENSION
This week, we hoped that TV One News would give us the chance to provide some counter to the big bunch of spin all over the Dom Post recently. That was unfortunately not the case. The pilots, airline association and Steven Joyce have now all come out with serious doubts and concerns following the airport’sContinueContinue reading “SOME REAL FACTS ABOUT THE AIRPORT EXTENSION”
REBLOG: Strathmore Park: Infratil getting testy over Wellington airport extension questions
Infratil are getting increasingly testy over the questions now being asked by many around the viability of the Wellington Airport Extension and the perception of a corporate handout. In an post on David Farrar’s Kiwiblog, they level their guns at David Lee and Cameron Slater of WhaleOil. In Sense from a Green Councillor, David Farrar questionsContinueContinue reading “REBLOG: Strathmore Park: Infratil getting testy over Wellington airport extension questions”
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?”
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”
Guardians of the Bays 