Wellington, Hamilton and North Shore are the Airports of the Year

New Zealand’s annual airports and aviation sector conference has wrapped this week, with Wellington, Hamilton and North Shore Airports taking the top sector awards.

The NZ Airports Hui 2024 was held at Claudelands in Hamilton from 11-14 November, bringing together a record number of delegates, exhibitors and speakers from New Zealand, Australia, the United States and the Pacific.

This year’s Hui attracted three major international speakers:

• Captain Billy Nolen, Chief Regulatory Affairs Officer for Archer Aviation and former head of the Federal Aviation Administration
• Stephen Forshaw, Airbus Chief Representative for Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific
• Dr Navneet Garg, Programme Manager of the National Airport Pavement and Materials Research Center at the Federal Aviation Administration.

“Aviation shrinks the world. For New Zealand, air connectivity is critical to our economic and social prosperity,” NZ Airports Chief Executive Billie Moore says.

“Our discussions this week have highlighted the challenges New Zealand is facing to maintain and grow our connectivity. In particular, aircraft constraints are contributing to domestic route withdrawals and a drop in consumer confidence to travel. We are also lagging behind other countries in our international tourism recovery.

“At the same time, the future shows extraordinary promise – and it is coming at us fast. Captain Billy Nolen took us through the imminent launch of Archer’s commercial air taxi operations in the US, planned for 2025, and the variety of use cases for eVTOLs that could be facilitated by airports. And BETA Technology, Air New Zealand and Wellington and Marlborough Airports shared their latest insights from the Mission Next Gen electric aircraft project.

“The future will bring us smaller, zero-emissions aircraft well suited to New Zealand’s needs. If we can work through our current constraints and embrace this new technology, we can deliver transformative benefits to New Zealand’s economy and social connectivity. That means making a plan now to foster the right infrastructure and regulatory investment.

“We’ve got a lot of work to do. Our speakers pointed out there’s no mention of aviation in the discussion document for the National Infrastructure Plan. That’s alarming when this sector is so critical to our country, and when technology is moving so fast.”

The NZ Airports Awards were presented on Wednesday night at a Hobbiton-themed gala dinner with the generous support of Beca and Hobbiton Movie Set. Awards were presented for the year’s best infrastructure, community engagement, commercial and sustainability projects, as well as Emerging Leader of the Year and Airports of the Year.

“Our three airports of the year in our large, medium and small airport categories are fantastic examples of airports as community-focused regional infrastructure.

“North Shore Airport is setting the standard for community engagement, and its work on the Auckland International Pilot Academy shows its commitment to fostering the next generation of pilots.

“Hamilton Airport’s return to international services is just one project that shows its team’s dedication to delivering for the Waikato region. Its comprehensive sustainability strategy, and work on commercial expansion through Titanium Park, also stood out to the judges this year.

“Wellington Airport is a leader in innovation, always ready to be a first mover on projects that will improve the customer experience, such as its investment in LiDAR technology to reduce queuing times. As a host airport for Air New Zealand’s BETA ALIA electric aircraft alongside Marlborough Airport, it will continue to show future-focused leadership for the airport network.”

Julie Southall, Commercial and Projects Manager at Rotorua Airport, was named Emerging Leader of the Year.

“Congratulations to all the nominees and award winners, and to all the Hui contributors for making the event so special once again this year.”

The NZ Airports 2024 Award winners were:

• Large Airport Infrastructure – Auckland International Airport Transport Hub
• Medium Airport Infrastructure – Hawke’s Bay Airport: Apron Reseal
• Small Airport Infrastructure – Whanganui Airport & Fulton Hogan: Runway Resurfacing
• Large Airport Commercial and Non-Aeronautical – Christchurch International Airport for the Dakota Park freight and logistics precinct
• Medium Airport Commercial and Non-Aeronautical – Invercargill Airport for the management of Milford Airport
• Small Airport Commercial and Non-Aeronautical – North Shore Airport for the Auckland International Pilot Academy and Auckland Pilot Training
• Large Airport Environmental Sustainability – Wellington International Airport and Marlborough Airport for hosting New Zealand’s first all-electric aircraft trial
• Medium Airport Environmental Sustainability – Hamilton Airport: solar farm and sustainability strategies
• Special Recognition for Sector Leadership in Sustainability – Air New Zealand for the Mission Next Gen programme
• Large Airport Community Engagement – Wellington International Airport for the Community Regional Awards
• Medium Airport Community Engagement – Rotorua Airport for the Matariki Dinner
• Small Airport Community Engagement – North Shore Airport: Airport Open Day
• Large Airport of the Year – Wellington International Airport
• Medium Airport of the Year – Hamilton Airport
• Small Airport of the Year – North Shore Airport
• Emerging Leader of the Year – Julie Southall, Commercial and Projects Manager at Rotorua Airport

ENDS

Contact: Billie Moore, 021 528 597

2024 Awards Photos