Public meeting packed over fight to keep Kāpiti airport open

Bipartisanship is one approach put forward by politicians to keep Kāpiti Coast Airport open but it is in a holding pattern for at least another week until the polls close.

More than 400 people packed out a Thursday public meeting by National MP Tim Costley at Paraparaumu.

Costley, a representative of the Kāpiti Aero Club and local councillor Glen Cooper spoke about the airport's importance for local civil defence and the economy. They also read out pre-written statements from the local district council and mayor Janet Holborow who was unable to attend.

Airport owner NZ PropCo has reached an agreement with a potential buyer, months after Air Chathams suspended its Kāpiti Coast to Auckland service in late July.

The owner was "engaging" with Land Information New Zealand (LINZ) under section 40 of the Public Works Act, which required land no longer needed for public work to be offered back to its original owner or successor.

Afterwards, the leading candidates of the closely fought Kāpiti electorate were open to working together to keep the airport operating.

"What I hope is this actually doesn't need to be a political thing," Costley said, adding that the turnout blew him away. "I would love to see more people come out and say they want to support and keep it. I don't care which party they're from, I don't care who they vote for."

He said earlier this month that there were two offers for the airport: one from Hāpai Property, a conglomerate of mostly out-of-Wellington iwi that wanted to turn the land into housing on the condition the airport was closed before the sale. The other offered a similar price but would maintain airfield operations and run a medical hub.

Closing the airport would require a change to the district plan through the local Kāpiti Coast District Council to rezone the land from being an "Airport Zone".

"I'll chat after the election," said Costley, who planned to exert public pressure on the airport's owners to not rezone the land and not involve the Government in buying it because there were already willing buyers.

"If I'm lucky enough to stay on as our local MP, I'll be working with anyone and everyone."

Labour candidate Sophie Handford was also at the public meeting, saying it didn't matter if it was hosted by an opponent: "I would be really open to having that conversation and figuring out how we could have some sense of shared advocacy again.

"It can be a real springboard for sustainable aviation and innovation in that sense."

Mayor Holborow and the council's chief executive, Darren Edwards, had already asked the airport's owners for "urgent clarification" over its current status and the implications of the proposed transaction on its operation, according to a letter seen by Local Democracy Reporting.

At the public meeting, Peter Merwood of the Kāpiti Aero Club said there would be no flight training available locally if the airport closes.

With 10 aircraft, a hangar and maintenance facility, "we've got a fairly substantial operation which is not easy to shift if the airport closes", Merwood said.

"A large flight training operation like ours is not compatible with Wellington Airport and the airlines that go in and the commercial airlines that go in and out."