Editor's note: You can read our earlier story on the Tūrangi Aerodrome here:
Chris Marshall
This story ran as part of Lake FM's weekday local news bulletin, which you can listen to here:
Tūrangi Aerodrome looks set to continue running – but new operators, the Tūrangi Aero Club, may have to seek funding once the Taupō District Council’s (TDC) commitment to assist with maintenance runs out at the end of June.
On Wednesday (February 26), a Civil Aviation Authority spokesperson confirmed that the TDC had formally withdrawn the aerodrome’s deactivation and that the aero club would be taking over its operation.
“A notice to all pilots has been issued reflecting this,” said the spokesperson.
The change is being made because the TDC, through its council-controlled organisation, the Taupō Airport Authority (TAA), is no longer prepared to act as named operator, believing the responsibility puts the TAA chief executive at risk when he has no oversight or control over the airfield’s operation.
It was also not planning to renew its lease on the land used for the strip, which is being handed back to owners by Te Kotahitanga o Ngati Tūwharetoa as part of a Treaty of Waitangi settlement.
In a conversation with Lake FM, Deputy Mayor Kevin Taylor said any continuation of council expenditure on the aerodrome needed to be considered in the context of other organisations in the district that had to apply for grant funding.
“We have limited resources in terms of the Parks and Reserves [team]... Anything we do for a private group needs to be run through the lens of what are we doing for everyone else. So, we mow the airstrip. What are we doing for other groups around the district?”
Taylor's comments reflect a shift in how the council views the aerodrome. While previously maintained as a public facility, the council's decision not to renew the lease effectively transforms it into a private operation. This transition means the Tūrangi Aero Club, as the new operator, may need to apply for funding through the same channels as other community organisations rather than receiving direct council support for maintenance.
Not on the council’s must-have list
Taylor also resisted the argument that the airfield had such strategic value in terms of emergency management and tourism that it was imperative that the TDC maintain a financial contribution.
The prospect of a civil defence emergency had been considered by Civil Defence controllers and the chair of the Emergency Services Committee, said Taylor, and they were comfortable there was no additional risk for the Tūrangi community should civil defence personnel not have access to it.
“Given my previous role as a senior member of the Bay of Plenty Police and being on the Civil Defence committee for the Bay of Plenty region… I can tell you that most of the time, using airfields, and particularly in a flooding situation, helicopters would be used rather than fixed wing. And with fixed wing aircraft, absolutely, they have their place. But I don’t agree that this is a game changer in terms of the Tūrangi airfield.”
Taylor accepted that an aerodrome was charted and, therefore, a safer space to land than other terrain.
“But let’s be really clear: we’re not talking about the closure of this airfield. We’re talking about the Taupō District Council exiting as the operator. So, there are lots of options available for the continued operation of this airfield.”
He also felt the withdrawal of council involvement did not impact the council’s broader strategy for Tūrangi.
“I don’t see this changes that at all. In terms of business development, social development, sports development, we’ve got considerable investment in the Tūrangi community.”
Local businesses that benefitted from fly-in visitors had options to help keep it operating, he said.
Strategic asset arguments
Former airline pilot and member of the Tūrangi Aero Club Mike Fransham, who will be stepping in as named operator for the field, maintains there are several strategic reasons Tūrangi should keep its airfield and that the council should contribute.
A member of the aero club for just under 10 years ago who flies locally, instructs and provides chief pilot services to an air operator in Taupō, Fransham said the airfield’s prime strategic value was the part it can play in emergency management.
“During (Cyclone) Gabrielle… Taupō (airport) became extremely busy as a stop-off point and Tūrangi [aerodrome]. While it didn’t have any fuelling facilities, it was a good alternate and staging point for movements into the Hawke’s Bay area.”
He said other natural disasters, such as eruptions, rain events, or serious flooding, could cut Tūrangi off in all directions.
Fransham said the aerodrome also played a support role in tourism, with people flying in to visit local eateries, lodges, and rafting operators. It was also used for flying training when the Taupō airport was busy with parachuting operations.
“Some of the training that we require to undertake would conflict with that, so we go down to Tūrangi because it is less of a risk.”
Fransham felt confounded that the TAA and TDC could think Tūrangi [aerodrome] had no strategic value “not only to Turangi itself but to the wider Taupo area.”
Risk argument overstated
Using the liability and risk argument raised at a TDC workshop in December last year as a reason for the TAA pulling out from being the named operator of the field was “being just plain lazy,” he said.
He said being an operator was mainly a regulatory requirement, like issuing notices to pilots detailing any risks in the airfield, such as the aerodrome being closed due to flooding, or hazards and obstacles on or about the runway, such as trees at one end.
He accepted there would be a disparity between TDC’s money put into Taupō Airport against maintenance at Tūrangi because of the number of Air New Zealand arrivals and departures, operators such as the skydiving companies, and engineering operations in Taupō.
“It’s the nub of aviation in this area. However, … Tūrangi [aerodrome], in a smaller way, has strategic value for the wider area and also the Tūrangi community, the ratepayers and the people that live in that area.”
He felt the TDC needed to continue providing the same level of support it had previously provided, as the aero club didn’t have the financial resources to do it alone.
“In my view, the council would be failing in its strategic duty to be able to provide that sort of resource (a secondary aerodrome in the area). Or if it refused to provide that resource.”
He doubted the costs, such as ongoing mowing and any new lease agreement, would be prohibitive.
“Talking to the landowners, they’re not expecting some inordinate, obscene amount of money. They’re very, very realistic of the sort of land that they own. But they won’t want it costing them.”
Like a sports ground with wider benefits
Support for continued council involvement also came from John Evans of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association.
He said council spending on local assets like small aerodromes needed to be considered in the same vein as public parks, sports grounds and gardens.
“They don’t necessarily pay their way… but they serve a wider benefit to the community for the likes of recreation. I mean, just recently, there was a large fly-in to Turangi. People come out of the woodwork and meet up. That’s their main passion in life, which is aviating.”
He reiterated Fransham’s comments about pilot training.
“Areas like Turangi are ideal for training because they’re not busy, and students can get exposed to a lot of really good, valuable training without being distracted by a really busy operating environment.”
And he, too, felt the civil defence potential was worthy of careful consideration.
“While a lot of the response to natural disasters is through helicopters these days, airfields are still the ideal place for that type of staging activity. And you could guarantee if there was a natural disaster in the region, then Tūrangi would be absolutely humming.”
