Tauranga Airport has been named the top regional airport in the country – and their decision to build on top of a former municipal dump is one of the major reasons why.
The airport landed the award at last night's New Zealand Airports Conference in Auckland, with Queenstown landing the prestigious AECOM Major Airport of the Year accolade.
Tauranga Airport has won the best regional airport award.
New Zealand Airports Association chief executive Kevin Ward says the decisive factor in Tauranga clinching the title is the benefits from its project to enhance the airport's facilities by reclaiming the reclaimed dump site.
The scheme has included constructing 22,000m2 of general aviation taxiway and holding bays, hangar roads and public car parking.
This has all been achieved using recycled concrete as a base course as well as providing the base course for 5000m2 of building platform for hangars built in 2011.
'This one project has generated multiple benefits,” says Kevin, 'including reclaiming and sealing the old dump site, creating a central clean fill site and construction of airport facilities using recycled concrete."
Tauranga Airport manager Ray Dumble is delighted with the accolade in what is being hailed as a huge team effort.
It is the second time the airport has scooped the award, the first coming a decade ago.
Five years ago Ray had the vision to turn the negative association between airports and pollution on its head, reclaiming the old Mount Borough Council rubbish dump.
He says; 'It [the rubbish dump] looked pretty dodgy and I thought it was leeching, so I got some scientists in to test it and it was all good.”
After cquiring a resource consent from the Bay of Plenty Regional Council to clean fill and seal off the old site, the airport now has the ability to stock pile recyclable materials, with contractors Fulton Hogan crushing materials on site twice a year.
'Just recently we had the Bureta Park Hotel knocked down,” adds Ray. 'That was over the back there for a while and now it's a pile of recycle concrete all ready to be used again.”
3 comments
Well done
Posted on 07-11-2014 14:46 | By NZgirl
Must say it is a nice airport
GREAT AIRPORT, BUT
Posted on 07-11-2014 22:07 | By The Caveman
I travel through it on a regular basis, however given the high percentage of older people in Tauranga, I believe that there needs to be far more "disabled" car parks immediately adjacent to the terminal. Having waited for my transport outside the terminal on a number of occasions recently, I have to say that it was very clear that there was a total lack of disabled carparks alongside the terminal. I would suggest that the current number of short term disabled parks should be DOUBLED, if NOT TREIPLED - remember 35% of Tauranga's residents are retired and, regretfully a high percentage have mobility problems. ( Yes move the great SUV's with the super fit drivers /passengers away from the front door (and as the Council runs the airport, give out a few tickets for using the disabled parks without a permit tag...............
Congratulations
Posted on 08-11-2014 07:14 | By Murray.Guy
Not that many years ago it was an embarrassment. The 'Ray Dumble (airport Manager) led team' clearly have a strong customer focus and pride in the facility.
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