Recent Developments
The operational tempo at Whenuapai continues at the level it has been at for the last forty years, although the closure of the adjacent Hobsonville base has seen the departure of rotary operations (primarily the UH1H Iroquois) to RNZAF Base Ohakea. With the budget for moving the base to Ohakea exceeding one billion dollars, the previously scheduled closure by the New Zealand Labour government (originally by 2007, now by 2010 or, at latest, 2014) is now no longer likely. There have been suggestions that it be used as Auckland's second international. Reasons put forward in favour of this are that more people in the Auckland region already live closer to the air base than live closer to Mangere Airport and that it is projected that within 15 years Whenuapai would be closer for more than a million Aucklanders.
The three local authorities that comprise the north west sector of the Auckland Region, Rodney District Council, North Shore City and Waitakere City have all favoured the second airport concept at one time or another and at least one poll, by the Waitakere City Council in late 2006, indicated 77% support and just 22% opposition by the public.
However in the local body elections of October 2007 election the pro-airport incumbent North Shore mayor was defeated by an anti-airport mayoral candidate with indications that the airport issue was the most important of factors considered when voters selected their preferred candidate.
Subsequently, North Shore Council reversed support for a Whenuapai International Airport while the Waitakere City Council is still in favour.
Read more about this topic: Whenuapai
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