NZ Airports 2010 Conference will be in Queenstown on 14th and 15th October, 2010.  Further details to follow

Safety Management System Symposium

Or visit http://www.aia.org.nz/Events/2nd+South+Pacific+Aviation+Safety+Management+Systems+Symposium.html

The CAA and the Guild of Air Pilots and Air Navigators have joined Airbus, Airways, Queenstown Airport and Navigatus Risk Consultants as sponsors of the Second South Pacific Safety Management Systems Symposium which is taking place at the Copthorn Hotel in Queenstown on 17 and 18 February 2010.

For more details see our Events page.

• what is an airport?
• assessing the land as a whole or piecemeal
• can land be leased  and still be ‘required’ for a public work?
• would it be unreasonable or unfair for any surplus land to be offered back?

The Court of Appeal confirmed that the land is still required for Auckland International Airport (including a range of ancilliary services) and that the fact that airport land has been leased for non-airport activities does not mean that it is not still required for airport activities in the longer term. The importance of the land for long-term expansion and development makes it unreasonable or unfair to offer it back to the former owner, even if it is no longer required for airport purposes.

View the Chapman Tripp bulletin at http://www.chapmantripp.com/Pages/Publication.aspx?ItemID=695&utm_source=SM%2BBC%20Appeal%20court%20decision%20good%20news&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Appeal%2Bcourt%20decision%20good%20news

It remains to be seen if the former owners will seek leave to appeal to the Supreme Court.

New Zealand and the United States have agreed to enhance cooperation in science and technology research to improve the shared capabilities of both nations to protect against acts of terrorism and other threats to domestic and external security.

“International collaboration in science and technology is a major part of our ongoing efforts to counter threats of terrorism,” said Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Janet Napolitano. “This agreement will enhance our ability to collaborate on research and share innovative technologies to ensure our mutual security and protect the public.”

“The Agreement on Science and Technology Cooperation Contributing to Domestic and External Security Capabilities strengthens New Zealand’s longstanding relationship with the U.S. in research science and technology,” said New Zealand Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully. “Under the Agreement New Zealand transport security and civil defense emergency management researchers will now benefit from collaborative project work with their U.S. counterparts.”

The Agreement calls for close cooperation between the US and New Zealand on the development of threat and vulnerability analyses and new technologies, and strengthened collaboration on border and transport security and civil defense emergency management.

The Agreement draws on the collective technical expertise of government scientists from both countries, and encourages robust participation by universities, non-profit organization and the private sector through public-private partnerships and collaborative funding.

It was signed today in Washington by Secretary Napolitano and New Zealand Ambassador Roy Ferguson. The United States has recently concluded similar agreements with Spain, Germany, France, Israel, Australia, the United Kingdom and Canada.

For more information, visit www.dhs.gov.

Highlights of the conference included annual airport awards recognising key projects undertaken by airports, and a personality of the year award.   

Beca Airports – New Zealand Airport Project of the Year Award 2009

Beca, the conference’s lead sponsor, had a strong set of entries for the Beca Airport Project of the Year Award, and the finalists were as follows:

• Rotorua Airport runway extension stage 1 and runway overlay, entered by Rotorua Regional Airport Ltd
• Christchurch International Airport Airfield pavement maintenance works 2008/09 entered jointly by CIAL and Fulton Hogan Ltd
• New Plymouth airport runway 05/23 rehabilitation, entered separately by both New Plymouth Airport Ltd and Fulton Hogan Ltd
• Wellington International Airport Runway 16/34 Asphalt Overlay, entered by Fulton Hogan Ltd

The judges considered the entries under a number of attributes, including quality of submission, the scope and context of the project, benefit to the airport, impact on stakeholders and operations, project performance and sustainability and the environment.  It was an incredibly tight result, but there could only be one winner, and that was the Wellington International Airport Runway 16/34 Asphalt Overlay , Fulton Hogan Ltd.  The judges particularly commented on the extremely tight night time construction periods, and the positive feedback from stakeholders and the neighbouring community.

Interspace Airport Advertising – Airport of the Year Awards

Entries for the NZ Airports and Interspace Airport Advertising Airport of the Year awards were also strong .  After considerable deliberation by the judges the three awards were awarded as follows:

Personality of the Year: John McCall, Chief Executive, Dunedin International Airport who is described as “a quiet, wise, guiding influence in the airport industry” who “has achieved a high level of recognition for his work and wisdom”.

Major Airport of the Year: Christchurch International Airport for the airport’s route development and tourism marketing strategies that “have led to CIAL’s success over the past few years in attracting several new international airlines to serve the Christchurch market…….[CIAL]  punches above its weight in developing new routes and working constructively with airlines, supporting them to grow New Zealand tourism….”

Regional Airport of the Year: New Plymouth Airport for the upgrade of the airport’s runway being “the largest and biggest spend on airport infrastructure in the past 20 years” which “was completed incident free, on time, within budget and without any disruptions to scheduled aircraft operations”.