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The future of Kaitāia Airport is now secured, thanks to the land being bought by Ngāi Takoto and returned to relevant hapū. (File photo)
Two iwi working together have managed to secure the future of under-fire Kaitāia Airport for the benefit of the wider community.
For years, there have been disputes about the ownership of the land the airport sits, including Ngāti Kahu protesters storming the airport in 2015.
The land is owned by Toitu Te Whenua | Land Information NZ as part of the Crown’s Treaty Settlement Landbank and is part of a Waitangi Tribunal claim from Ngāti Kahu, which is yet to settle with the Crown.
In 2011, Ngāti Kahu and fellow Far North iwi Ngāi Takoto negotiated the right to buy the 83.6ha site but the final agreement has been long coming.
Since 2016, Far North District Council has been unable to secure a long-term lease for the airport, which has been run on a month-by-month lease between the council and the Crown.
The situation became so mired, locals feared the airport would close, ending an important connection to the isolated Far North town.
Since April, a working group representing the council, iwi and the Crown have been working on a solution but, after finding progress was too slow, the working group was abandoned earlier this month in favour of direct negotiations.
Ngāi Takoto, which has settled with the Crown, has now agreed to buy back the land and return it to relevant hapū and marae, said Ngāi Takoto representative Rangitane Marsden, in an open letter published on Te Hiku Media.
The solution was fully endorsed by representatives of the relevant marae and hapū of Ngāti Kahu – Patukoraha, Ngāi Tohianga and Te Paatu – as well as Ngāi Takoto iwi and community members.
The agreement will see the airport continue on the current site for 35 to 40 years, he said.
“This process will take up to six months as we work through a land transfer process and set up a land trust into which the property will be vested,” Marsden said.
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Far North councillor Felicity Foy says the solution is a great relief for Kaitāia and surrounding townships, but investment will be needed to bring Kaitāia Airport up to scratch. (File photo)
There will also be discussions about the level of investment needed in the airport to ensure it is fit-for-purpose, including a new terminal, he said.
Marsden said angst around the land’s future has included occupations and marches down the main street of Kaitāia.
Far North councillor Felicity Foy agreed there has been a lot of angst in Kaitāia about the airport’s future, which is a key connection for the town.
“It’s been a long eight years of wait that we haven’t had a long-term lease,” she said.
Daily flights between Kaitāia and Auckland are offered by Barrier Air instead of a 4½ hour drive, which includes a significant diversion off State Highway 1 due to a long-term closure at Mangamuka Gorge.
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A surf rescue boat had to be used to rescue a woman from her flooded home, south of Kaitāia, in August 2022. The same storm indefinitely closed SH1 at Mangamuka Gorge, creating access issues for Kaitaia. (Video first published August 19, 2022)
“In terms of connectivity and forward planning, it’s a reasonably significant asset, not just for Kaitāia [but the whole area],” Foy said.
The airport is also New Zealand’s northernmost airport which has fuel.
A recent investigation into the 2022 fatal capsize of fishing vessel Enchanter highlighted how a lack of available fuel slowed down rescuers from finding survivors near North Cape.
Foy thanked Marsden for working with both iwi and finding a solution which benefits everyone.
But she was dismayed in the Crown for taking so long to find a solution, which meant the airport has not had any investment for at least eight years.
Foy hoped the Crown would help fund the infrastructure upgrade now needed.
