Tauranga Airport named one of NZ's best

Tauranga Airport.

Tauranga Airport has taken top honours at the Airport of the Year Awards.

The airport was named AECOM Regional Airport of the Year at the New Zealand Airports Conference held in Auckland last night.

New Zealand Airports Association (NZ Airports) chief executive Kevin Ward said the decisive factor in Tauranga Airport winning the title, was the multiple benefits which have flowed from its project to enhance the airport's facilities by reclaiming the former Mount Borough Dump site, which closed in the 1960s.

"This one project has generated multiple benefits," said Mr Ward.

"Including reclaiming and sealing the old dump site, creating a central clean fill site and construction of airport facilities using recycled concrete."

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 a 5000m2 building platform for hangars built in 2011.

The project has proved a financial and environmental success, recycling and using a non-renewable resource, and the reclaiming and sealing of the old dump is being achieved at no financial cost.

Technical Director at AECOM, Trevor Hipkins, said "We are delighted to be sponsoring an award that supports excellence in innovation."

Queenstown Airport was named AECOM Major Airport of the Year and Kaye McNabb, Chief Executive of Nelson Airport, was named Fulton Hogan New Zealand Aviation Personality of the Year.