1 May 2015
178° EAST
Eastland Group operates a number of businesses involved in the energy and logistics sectors in New Zealand. They include
electricity distribution and renewable generation, the operation of Gisborne’s port and airport and the ownership of strategically
located investment property. Eastland Group is owned by the Eastland Community Trust (ECT).
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY GISBORNE AIRPORT
April 2015 marked a special anniversary for Eastland Group – we celebrated 10 years
of operating Gisborne Airport on lease from Gisborne District Council.
When we signed the airport
lease on 1 April 2005,
Eastland Group was known
as Eastland Infrastructure.
(We changed our name
in 2010.)
Since that time, Gisborne
District Council has remained
the asset owner, but
Eastland Group operates,
manages and develops the
airport. In 2005, Gisborne
Eastland Group chief executive,
Matt Todd.
Airport was costing Gisborne
ratepayers money. Today it makes a small profit and is able to
commercially stand on its own feet.
Eastland Group provides necessary infrastructure for
the region. Eastland Network delivers the electricity the
community needs, while Eastland Port, and Gisborne Airport
are critical transport hubs that facilitate the efficient transport
of people and product into and out of the region. They are
all essential to a growing economy and made especially
important by Gisborne’s relative isolation from the rest of
the country.
I am proud to be leading the company which has not only
taken care of Gisborne Airport over the past decade, but has
actively worked to improve it.
By November 2005, visitors were greeted by the smell of
roasted coffee and tasty snacks from the new café, V2.
This modern, inviting café was designed to change the
atmosphere at the airport, with travellers arriving early
for flights, in order to enjoy great refreshments and the
comfortable new chairs and sofas.
These improvements were further enhanced by the cosmetic
changes made to the terminal windows at about the same
time. It was out with the old, rotten timber windows along the
apron facing wall and in with stylish new glass and aluminium
joinery, aiding spectacular views out to Young Nick’s Head.
The mini-makeover included new interior directional signage.
Since then Gisborne Airport has entered into an agreement
with an advertising provider – signage advertising businesses
and services has further enhanced the airport environment
while offering local businesses an opportunity to advertise in
an area with a high volume of foot traffic.
In June 2006 we started to look at car park improvements.
A camera system, barriers and lighting were installed to
provide additional security for customers parking
cars overnight.
And by October the same year, construction was underway
on an ‘extreme makeover’ of Gisborne Airport’s car park
facilities following extensive research into current and future
customer needs.
The number of car parks increased from 53 to 74, with
separate parking facilities for staff. To enhance security,
new street lighting and two additional CCTV cameras were
installed for people using the facilities 24/7. The car park was
extended and the existing flagpole and monuments relocated
to improve traffic flow. The entrance roadway was widened to
allow for buses, and a new storm water drainage system was
installed. To top it all off, the new car park was totally resealed
to improve its visual appearance and extend its life.
By Matt Todd, Eastland Group chief executive
60 HECTARES IS THE AREA
gisborne airport covers
1 SEALED RUNWAY AT THE AIRPORT
1310 METRES
is the length of that runway
3 GRASS RUNWAYS AT THE AIRPORT
15,897 AIRCRAFT MOVEMENTS
IN THE 12 MONTHS
136,650 PASSENGERS
CAME AND WENT THROUGH
THE AIRPORT IN THE SAME PERIOD
40,000 SQUARE METRES
OF ASPHALT WERE LAID
IN THE RUNWAY RESEAL PROJECT
2.5 MILLION DOLLARS
IS THE COST OF THE RUNWAY PROJECT
107 CAR PARKS AVAILABLE AT GISBORNE AIRPORT
2 AIRPORTS IN THE WORLD
HAVE A RAILWAY LINE RUNNING ACROSS THE RUNWAY
GISBORNE AIRPORT IS ONE OF THEM
www.eastland.co.nz
“A GROWING DEMAND FOR
PRIVATELY OWNED AIRCRAFT
SAW TWO NEW HANGARS BUILT AT
GISBORNE AIRPORT IN 2007.”
Once the construction phase was complete, a small timebased parking fee was introduced, and this initially caused
some residents concern. By this time however, the airport
was commercially independent and no longer a burden to
ratepayers. Coupled with the improvements we were making,
we believed – and still do – that the benefits outweighed any
short-term issues.
Parking at Gisborne Airport is still free for the first 20 minutes,
allowing people to drop off or pick up passengers, or have a
cup of coffee. Parking charges start at $1.00 and increasing
over time up to $8 for 3 to 12 hours and $10 for 12 to 24 hours
parking. The fee amount continues to compare favourably to
other regional airport car parking charges.
In 2006, Eastland Group also undertook a detailed review of
the Gisborne District Council commissioned Gisborne Airport
Strategic Development Plan. This project identified potential
opportunities for diversifying our income base as well as
possible functional issues, such as a tarmac bottleneck as
bigger aircraft were introduced, charter aircraft increase and
flight schedules change.
A growing demand for privately owned aircraft saw two new
hangars built at Gisborne Airport in 2007.
In 2011, the car park was again expanded and improved in
response to public demand and in accordance with Eastland
Group’s desire to improve traffic flows. A second gate and
50 additional car parks were added as part of the $350,000
project, bringing the total number of car parks at the airport to 107.
In 2009, Gisborne Airport flourished in line with Eastland
Group’s development plans, with the completion of the
La Vista commercial warehouse property development in
Darton Park, the attainment of Airport Authority status for
Gisborne Airport, the successful RNZAF training camp Exercise
Wise Owl in August and the annual New Zealand Tiger Moth
flyover at Labour Weekend.
Last year, a new fit-for-purpose hangar for the Eastland Rescue
Helicopter was completed, funded from the generosity of our
community, with the airport contributing to the infrastructure
requirements for this facility. The hangar is a huge improvement
on the previous one, providing the helicopter’s dedicated crew
access to first-class professional facilities.
The past few years have been profitable for the airport business
as a whole, but there has been a shift in the aircraft fleet
servicing the district with a greater number of 50 seat Q300
planes being used by Air New Zealand, resulting in a decline in
the 19 seat Beech 1900s.
The decline in Beech 1900 landings is primarily due to the
age and expense of operating these aircraft and their staged
retirement from service by Air New Zealand, so this is a trend
that is expected to continue. Overall this has resulted in a
decrease in total landings at the airport with 15,897 aircraft
movements (take-offs and landings) in the 12 months to 31
March 2015. The upside is that the bigger planes are nicer to fly
on and there is generally a greater availability of cheaper fares.
Following lengthy consultation with Air New Zealand, an
increase in landing fees was introduced from 1 December
2012. These were the first landing fee increases in well over ten
years and the additional revenue has contributed to a number
of important capital projects including last month’s resealing of
the central 30-metre wide section of the airport’s 1310-metre
main runway.
The $2.5 million runway project was awarded to Downer after
a tender process, with work taking place at night to minimise
disruption, and involved more than 40,000 square metres of
asphalt being laid.
Eastland Group is committed to continuing to invest in Gisborne
Airport in order to meet projected customer demand and grow
the regional economy.
Before
Construction on Gisborne Airport’s car park extreme makeover started in
October 2006. In 2011, the carpark was again expanded and improved.
Within its first year of operating Gisborne Airport, Eastland Group had
transformed the terminal frontage.
Gisborne Airport manager Murray Bell (front) is pictured in front of the airport’s
new signage in June 2006 with local Air New Zealand staff – Captain Jerome
Tutty, Coral Taylor and Garth Ritchie.
EASTLAND GROUP
COMPLETES RUNWAY RESEAL
AT GISBORNE AIRPORT
Main image: Gisborne Airport manager Murray thanked airport assistant manager Matt Schmelz and project manager Annalise Hughes for their support.
Small image on left: Gisborne Airport’s recent runway reseal project involved milling out the current runway asphalt to a depth of 100mm, then overlaying with a new 100mm asphalt layer. A section 30 metres wide and
65 metres in length was completed each night. Small image on right: A line of trucks backs up to dump fresh asphalt for the paver to spread into place as another large section of Gisborne Airport’s runway is resealed.
A large section of the runway at Gisborne Airport has been
resealed in new asphalt, after a $2.5 million construction project
was completed by Downer.
Airport manager Murray Bell says the project took place at night
to minimise disruption at the busy regional airport.
“Work started on Sunday, 29 March 2015 and during the three
week period of the project, the airport was closed from 8.15pm
until 6am the following morning to all traffic, except helicopters.”
Eastland Group took over the management of Gisborne Airport
from Gisborne District Council in April 2005. The last runway
reseal was finished in 1998.
“The runway had a life expectancy of about 15 years and we’d
waited as long as possible, making do with patches and repairs
over the last few years… but it had really got to the point where
we needed to reseal it now,” says Murray.
The work involved milling out the current runway asphalt to a
depth of 100mm, then overlaying with a new 100mm asphalt
layer. Each night Downer’s specialist crew – brought in
from Tauranga – finished a section 30 metres wide and
65 metres long.
“We needed to make sure each section was completed and the
lines repainted on the runway by 5am, in time for the first flights
of the next day.
“The total width of the runway is 45 metres, built to
requirements from the 1950’s and sixties,” explains Murray.
“We have replaced the central 30 metres because that’s what
would be required if we were building a new runway to today’s
construction standards. The total length of the runway is 1310
metres. In this project we have completely replaced a section
that is 870 metres long.”
Also completed over the past few weeks were some patch
repairs outside the 30m strip, and taxiway repairs.
The contract was divided into three separate stages involving
more than 40,000 square metres of asphalt being laid.
The work just finished is the first two portions of the contract –
a 30m wide strip from the railway line north and the patching.
Murray says the final portion of the runway from the railway
line south will be completed at a later date, as it has not
deteriorated at the same rate.
Eastland Group chief executive, Matt Todd, says the runway
project is part of the company’s long term commitment
to providing fit-for purpose infrastructure for the Gisborne
Tairawhiti region. The company owns and operates Eastland
Port, Eastland Network, Eastland Generation and a number
of other businesses in the logistics and energy sectors.
BACK IN THE DAY
By November 2005, visitors to Gisborne Airport could buy espresso
coffee and tasty snacks from the new café, V2.
In 2015, Eastland Group is celebrating 10 years of the operation of Gisborne Airport… but our airport has been serving the region for far longer than that.
These photos are from 1953.
178° EAST COMMUNITY
EXERCISE WISE OWL
IN GISBORNE
Gisborne skies were busy in August 2008, when more than
100 Royal New Zealand Air Force personnel, support staff,
trainee pilots and instructors took part in the Exercise Wise
Owl training programme. Part of a long-standing air force
tradition, the 91st Wise Owl came to Gisborne on Monday,
25 August 2008 and locals flocked to an airport open day
held as part of the week-long programme.
GO KART CLUB
GETS GOING
GISBORNE AVIATION
PRESERVATION
SOCIETY
The East Coast region of the North Island of New Zealand is
rich in its aviation history. The first airline to be licenced and to
operate twin engine aircraft was Gisborne based, it housed
various RNZAF Squadrons during WWII, and were pioneers
in the topdressing industry. Gisborne is also one of two
airports in the world to have a railway line running across our
runway. The Gisborne Aviation Preservation Society (GAPS)
museum, which opened in 1998, is open on Sundays with
a range of exhibits including five aircraft on display. The
Fletcher FU24-950m ZK-BWV is now the gate guardian for
Darton Field and is stationed directly opposite the museum.
She was put there to replace the Lockheed L18-56 Lodestar
ZK-BUV and is painted up in Fieldair’s livery.
Gisborne’s Go Kart Club began in January this year, the
result of two years planning by founder Murray Michie. For
its Saturday racing events the Club uses the carpark area
of the Jet Sprint Club, land owned by Gisborne Airport.
The Club has grown swiftly. “On opening day we had 12
karts turn up, and there are now close to 70 karts racing
regularly,” says Murray. He says if it weren’t for the generosity
of Eastland Group he’d possibly still be looking for land. “This
is a cheap family sport and it’s a lot of fun.”
THANK YOU TO THESE BUSINESSES
– YOU ARE PART OF OUR GISBORNE AIRPORT COMMUNITY
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Air New Zealand
Sunair Aviation
Eastland Rescue Helicopter Trust
Gisborne Helicopters
Ashworth Helicopters
Farmers Air
Hertz
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EASTLAND RESCUE
HELICOPTER TRUST’S
NEW HANGAR
Avis New Zealand
Budget Car Rental
Thrifty New Zealand
V2 Café and Bar
LeaderBrand
Galaxy Group
Lake Road Wines
A new $700,000 fit-for-purpose hangar for the Eastland
Rescue Helicopter Trust was opened at Gisborne Airport
on 8 May 2014, with Eastland Group contributing to
the infrastructure requirements for the facility during its
construction. The new hangar replaced the previous helicopter
base and gives passers-by a view of the helicopter through
large windows. The building provides a large hangar bay for
the rescue chopper, along with an office, accommodation
space, kitchen and toilet facilities and a lecture room for the
dedicated crew. At 23 metres wide and 20 metres deep the
building is future-proofed, with space for a larger helicopter or
a fixed winger aircraft if either is needed in the future.
We’d love to hear from you.
Email us at [email protected]
or visit our website www.eastland.co.nz
www.eastland.co.nz