MOU on Whenuapai

Waitakere City Council and Infratil have entered into a MOU aimed at assessing the viability of commercialisation of Whenuapai Airbase.

The Government has announced that it will downsize its defence operations at Whenuapai over the next five years.

Bryan Mogridge, Chairperson of the city’s Economic Development Agency (Enterprise Waitakere) says that continued use of the Base as an airport facility would go along way towards replacing several thousand jobs and up to $60 million spent in the local economy by the Air Force. He says the agreement with Infratil, a New Zealand company which operates airports both here and internationally (and which is the majority shareholder in Wellington Airport) will enable a robust analysis of whether continued use of Whenuapai as a commercial operation is viable. “Ultimately the decision about what will happen at Whenuapai is the Government’s. However we want to ensure that if a commercial airport, or perhaps a mix of civilian and ongoing defence use is possible, that it is one of the options they look at.”