Plans For Developing Paraparaumu Airport

Press, Volume XCV, Issue 28267, 3 May 1957, Page 10

Plans For Developing Paraparaumu Airport

(From Our Own Reporter)

WELLINGTON, May 2. Within eight or 10 years air services between Australia and New Zealand are likely to use Paraparaumu aerodrome as well as Harewood and Auckland. The Minister in charge of Civil Aviation (Mr T. P. Shand) said this tonight when asked whether land purchases at Paraparaumu meant that this aerodrome would be developed to international status. The question was promoted by a report that the Auckland Chamber of Commerce is concerned lest Paraparaumu rival Whenuapai as an international airport. Mr Shand said that the Government still intended to develop an international airport at Auckland which would be expected to provide for all New Zealand s true international air traffic. The Government’s long-term plans for civil aviation included provision for a new airstrip at Paraparaumu as an alternative held to Rongotai, said Mr Shand. The present Paraparaumu field was expensive to maintain because of poor foundations, and was in any case unsuitable for modern re quirements. One property at Paraparaumu had been purchased. This was ex* pected eventually to form part oft the new strip, but the reasn tor its purchase was primarily to remove a plantation which was creating a hazard to one of thei’ runways of the present field. The: owner of this property was not h willing to remove the plantation r without compensation on such a, 1

scale that the Government considered it advisable to buy the land.

The new airstrip for Paraparaumu would be about 6000 ft long, the requirement for internal air trunk services. This length would also be adequate for aircraft at present in use on international routes and for those which appeared to be likely to be developed for short intercolonial routes between Australia and New Zealand.

“The new strip will not be ade-1 quate for modern long-range aircraft w r hich are expected to be used on the truly international air routes,” the Minister added. “The siting of the strip would allow for its extension to 8000 or 9000 ft, j I i I 'l I I I : I I I > i I