PO Box 14001
Christchurch 8544
New Zealand
Telephone (+64 3) 358 5029
christchurchairport.co.nz
26 September 2023
Suze Keith
Email: c/-
[FYI request #23984 email]
Dear Ms Keith
OFFICIAL INFORMATION ACT 1982 (OIA) – REQUEST FOR INFORMATION - CHRISTCHURCH
INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT LIMITED (CIAL)
1.
We write further to our email of 31 August 2023, acknowledging receipt of your email of 29 August
2023 (via the third party public platform fyi.org.nz) in which you requested the following information
pursuant to the OIA:
“Could you please provide me with any correspondence or meeting notes in relation to any
discussions or communication with the NZ Airline Pilots Association about the proposed airport in
Tarras, or anything to do with Queenstown Airport..” (the “
Request”)
2.
CIAL will provide you with the requested information where it is able. However, you will note within
this letter that it is occasionally unable to release requested information if it would prejudice or
disadvantage CIAL’s commercial activities. Before we answer your specific query, it may be helpful
to provide some context to this.
3.
The OIA permits an organisation to refuse to release requested information it holds if the withholding
of such information is necessary to enable the organisation to carry out its commercial activities or
negotiations without prejudice or disadvantage (s 9(2)(i) and s9(2)(j) OIA) provided that such
withholding is not outweighed in the circumstances by the public interest in making the specific
information available. For example, while it may be in the public interest to understand that CIAL is
investigating the feasibility of establishing an airport in Central Otago that does not mean CIAL must
share every detail of its plans, analysis, work or negotiations within specific work streams.
4.
As you may be aware, CIAL is a council-controlled trading organisation that has been specifically
established to operate and manage its business as an independent commercial undertaking for the
purposes of making a profit, and to follow generally accepted commercial practices and disciplines.
CIAL is not a public body collecting and spending public funds. It operates as a wholly commercial,
standalone entity. Due to the size and scale of those activities it is one of only three major airports
in New Zealand regulated under Part 4 of the Commerce Act 1986.
5.
As an airport, CIAL has a further overriding obligation under the Airport Authorities Act 1966, and
reinforced by the Civil Aviation Act 2023, to act as a commercial undertaking. It does so in a
commercially competitive environment both domestically and internationally, where its competitors
6.
are not under corresponding disclosure requirements. The proposed Central Otago airport Project
(the Project) is a complex commercial activity, acknowledged as being in competition with the
interests of other airports within New Zealand.
7.
The Project is currently in the validation and planning phase which in and of itself is a complex
commercial activity. At present, CIAL is under no legal obligation to consult in relation to the Project.
To assist public understanding of the context of the Project and CIAL’s decisions, CIAL has committed
to, and does, proactively publish information as it completes pieces of work which is likely to be in
the
public
interest
to
receive
on
its
dedicated
Project
website
at
https://www.centralotagoairport.co.nz/ (the Project Website). This information includes a document
recently published in August 2023 titled “Unlocking Potential: Central Otago’s runway to a future-
focussed airport”, which provides general information on the work and analysis CIAL has undertaken
as
at
the
date
thereof
in
relation
to
the
Project
(https://www.centralotagoairport.co.nz/uploads/images/Unlocking-potential-31-Aug2023.pdf).
8.
With respect to your Request, we have identified two emails that fall within the scope of your request.
These emails have been released to you with some information withheld under Section 9(2)(a) of
the OIA.
9.
We trust we have answered your requests for information. If you require any further information or
we have in some way misinterpreted your requests, please let us know.
10.
You have the right to seek an investigation and review by the Ombudsman of the decisions contained
in this letter. Information about how to contact the Ombudsman or make a complaint is available at
www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or freephone 0800 802 602.
Yours sincerely
CIAL LEGAL TEAM
Email: [Christchurch International Airport Limited request email]
From:
@cial.co.nz>
Sent:
Tuesday, 21 September 2021 11:47 am
To:
@nzalpa.org.nz'
Cc:
@nzalpa.org.nz'
Subject:
Central Otago Airport - Preliminary Aeronautical Assessment CONFIDENTIAL
Kia ora
I am working as part of the Christchurch Airport team that is investigating the potential for an airport at Tarras,
Central Otago.
On Friday we are planning to release a preliminary aeronautical assessment of the site. It includes our initial
assessment of weather, terrain, airspace and runway lengths. It shows that the site is viable. The key findings are
that;
•
Weather conditions are consistent with benchmarks across New Zealand, with further meteorological data
to be collected over time;
•
The site is suitable for a runway of 2,200m in length on two possible runway alignment options. One
alignment option may be suitable for a longer runway length between 2,500 – 3,000m;
•
The site is suitable for the key types of aircraft expected to operate scheduled services within New Zealand
and on likely international routes; and
•
The site can integrate into surrounding airspace and flight tracks.
The two identified viable runway alignments create flight paths that use Lake Dunstan to the south and either the
Hawea Valley to the North-west or the Lindis Valley to the North-east.
We are still at an early stage of the project, but this release is significant because it is the first time we will publicly
release technical information. We will continue to work this up into a full proposal over the next two-three years.
We know that this will be interesting to you, and your members. If you would like, we could walk you through the
information on Thursday, or send it through to you before it is released. Please let me know what would be help for
you as a heads-up.
I’ve cc’ed
as I have previously mentioned to him that this work is in the pipeline.
Best regards
Christchurch Airport
1
From:
@cial.co.nz>
Sent:
Monday, 21 August 2023 10:42 am
To:
';
'
Subject:
Central Otago Airport project
Dear
and
Next week, Christchurch Airport will publicly release some more information about our Central Otago Airport
project. It will include some information that is of specific interest to pilots and the pilot community; including our
work to date on runway alignments, meteorological info and flight tracks as well as more general work we have
been doing to scope the project.
You will both receive an email copy of the work when it is released. We are also very happy to organise a briefing
with you if you would like to go into it in more detail. We have previously talked with
and
an NZALPA
and are very happy to keep that line open with you if that is helpful.
Best regards
Christchurch Airport
1
