Peter's grounded as Koru Lounge denies access

ALEX HICKEY
Peter Wilson came to Napier to talk about the barriers the disabled face every day - and met one of his own even before he had left Hawke's Bay Airport.
The wheelchair-bound Blenheim man and frequent flier could not access the airport's Koru Club lounge despite being a member, because it is located on the first floor and does not have disabled access.
Mr Wilson is on the national service leadership team for CCS, a disability support group.
He flew to Hawke's Bay last week to host a workshop on creating social inclusion for disabled people.
The lack of access to the Koru Club perfectly illustrated the problems disabled people met every day, he said.
He did not want to be portrayed as "just another disabled person" moaning about access.
However, there had to be "deeper thinking" in the community about this type of issue.
The airport building in Napier had been refurbished less than three years ago, so the question that had to be asked was how could there still be no access to the lounge.
There had appeared to be no consideration given to disabled Koru club members.
The Hawke's Bay Airport was the only one he had encountered at which he could not access the Koru Club lounge.
The region had an ageing population people and the numbers of people with a disability would increase.
"It is not the disabled person who creates the problem but the community that creates the disability."
CCS's Hawke's Bay and Tairawhiti manager, Jacqui Barnes, was disappointed at the poor turnout for Mr Wilson's roadshow.
Invitations were sent to all the region's high schools and local bodies and only Hastings District Council sent a representative, despite the fact that the meeting was held in Napier.
CCS had younger members who were still at school, so she was surprised that not one of the region's high schools could attend a seminar on how to address the barriers that students could face at school.
Hawke's Bay airport manager Nigel Sutton said the Koru Club was owned and operated by Air New Zealand.
Its facilities were built according to their specifications, Mr Sutton said.
Air New Zealand spokeswoman Rosie Paul said Air New Zealand had the Koru lounge on the first floor because they were constrained by the space available for lease at the airport.
"Under such circumstances, Air New Zealand is not necessarily responsible for the significant modification required to the building in order to provide lift access," she said.