This landing spot became known as the Beacons, due to two large shipping navigational aids nearby.
Members of the Napier Aero Club, the initiators of the Embankment Aerodrome, soon found that Beacons would be a better aerodrome site.
A lease was secured from the Hawke’s Bay Harbour Board and a disused Napier tramcar body was placed on site as a passenger terminal.
The control of Beacons would come under the Napier Airport Board, and its plan was to make this a main airport for Hawke’s Bay.
Hastings desired its own commercial airport and people were none too pleased to see these developments occurring at the Beacons.
During 1943, government efforts had begun in search of a site for a main aerodrome in Hawke’s Bay, undertaken by engineers Furkett and McKillop. In addition to other Hawke’s Bay sites, Hastings locations such as Waipatu and the existing Bridge Pa Aerodrome were deemed unsuitable.
As regards the Waipatu site, despite Furkett and McKillop ruling it out for reasons such as the loss of fertile land, the Hastings Borough Council persisted, and attempted to buy the land. This was much to the disgust of the main landowner and other Māori beneficiaries of smaller land titles. After much public protest, this idea was dropped.
With the matter seemingly settled from the Government’s and Napier’s points of view, the Beacons would be Hawke’s Bay’s main airport. A permanent terminal was opened in 1947 to replace the tramcar and a control tower was added in 1949/50 – and due to the right hand not knowing what the left hand was doing, it was put right in front of the terminal, blocking any future expansion of the terminal.
As was often the case of local body politics between Hastings and Napier – while the coastal town had considered the matter of the Beacons finalised, its inland country cousin had not.
When air travel became somewhat more affordable and popular, the Beacons quickly outgrew its 1947-built terminal. (Throughout the history of the airport’s development, there have been significant delays in increasing its terminal’s capacity). Napier’s eagerness to open a new, larger terminal was urgent. It would be hard to justify another one at such large expense in Hawke’s Bay.
A new terminal first mooted in 1953, was opened in 1959.
Around this time, Beacons became known as Napier Airport.
When the National Airways Corporation (NAC) was considering the introduction of Fokker F27 Friendships to replace their DC-3s in 1955, the Friendships would need a sealed runway – many provincial airports, such as Napier, still had grass runways.
Hastings, seizing the opportunity and knowing a sealed runway would require a significant government investment, again pursued the matter of the siting of a main airport for Hawke’s Bay – and of course, preferably in Hastings.
And again, sites were looked at, and five were identified by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) during 1959: two at Awatoto; two at West Clive and one at Chesterhope. While one of the Awatoto sites was favoured over the Beacons by the CAA, a Ministry of Works assessment of the site discarded it – among several reasons given was the taking over of productive land. Beacons it was still to be.
The Government was the funder of the sealed runway, hence its say in the matter.
Undeterred, Hastings went on its own search during 1960 and put forward a Fernhill site in August.
Hastings mayor Ron Giorgi reported that the CAA would inspect this site in September 1960 and until this had occurred, no decision would be made on Beacons.
On the eve of the November 1960 general election, Labour party Prime Minister Walter Nash boarded the discussion – the Beacons site was preferred and would stand, as it would cost less to develop.
However, National swung to power and new Prime Minister Keith Holyoake said the debate for the best location for a Hawke’s Bay airport would be reopened – much to the cheers of Hastings. The populace would be disappointed and the move crushing, especially for Mayor Giorgi.
On May 18, 1961, the Hawke’s Bay Airport Committee of Inquiry released its findings. The large capital costs and the time taken to build a new airport (five years) versus sealing the grass runway (two years) meant the Beacons was the best location.
Hastings was furious. We will still develop our own airport, stated Giorgi. This, however, was never going to “fly”.
There was much turbulence over the next year as the councils of Havelock, Hastings, Napier, Taradale and Hawke’s Bay County tried to settle the shared cost agreement of the new Hawke’s Bay Airport.
Finally, in October 1962, and subject to the completion of the local bodies’ ongoing cost-share agreement (which was achieved), the Government agreed to fund £384,500 (2023: $20 million) for a sealed runway and other improvements.
The first Fokker Friendship landed on December 15, 1963, on the sealed runway.
A grand opening of the Hawke’s Bay Airport took place on February 15, 1964, which was celebrated last month on its 60th anniversary.
Today the shareholders in the Hawke’s Bay Airport are Napier City Council (26 per cent), Hastings District Council (24 per cent) and the Crown (50 per cent).
Michael Fowler is a Hawke’s Bay historian and writer mfhistory@gmail.com. His Stories of Historic Hawke’s Bay book is available from Wardini Havelock North and Napier.
