The inaugural report was presented to Whangārei District Council (WDC)’s February 26 noise committee meeting.
WDC manager property John Burt said 202 individual noise events had been complained about.
Around 65.5% of the noise complaints were about night-time helicopter operations disturbing sleep.
Complaints had come from a broad geographic spread around the airport, including 53 from a single individual.
Burt said all complaints where a specific flight could be identified had been investigated by airport management and NRHL.
He said there had been no regulatory breaches or non-compliance with NRHL’s fly neighbourly procedures or the council’s District Plan rules.
“Community concerns relate primarily to night-time noise, general disturbance, operational procedures and perceived fairness,” Burt said in a noise committee update in the meeting’s agenda.
He said follow-up noise reduction options had been identified at the airport after the complaints.
Potential improvements included shutting down rather than idling helicopters during night-time refuelling, reduced hovering while taxiing to takeoff, and adjustments to the lift-off location of eastbound departures.
WDC staff and NRHL planned to implement a trial with the suggested modifications.
Onerahi airport noise watchdog group ECHO (environment, community, health, Onerahi) member Carole Doherty said the rescue helicopter service was a plus for Northland.
But people living around the airport who were affected by the extra helicopter noise were paying the health price.
She said the complaints mattered, even if they had been shown not to breach noise requirements.
Doherty said one resident had been forced to take leave from work to get some sleep, after being woken when helicopters took off and landed overnight.
Council general manager planning and developer Dominic Kula did not specifically comment on the resident’s situation Doherty referenced.
He acknowledged that airport noise, particularly at night, could be challenging for nearby residents.
“At the same time, the rescue helicopter service provides an essential, life-saving function for the wider Northland region.
“Council’s approach has been to acknowledge both realities, establishing practical ways to mitigate noise and processes to consider complaints.”
The committee was one way of doing this. It combined WDC politicians, airport operators and community members with direct links to Onerahi.
“Council acknowledges that views within the community differ, and that there is no single solution that will satisfy everyone.”
Regular formal noise complaints reporting will now be part of the council’s airport noise management committee meetings.
Kula said the date for the next meeting had not been set but it would be held no later than the end of August.
NRHL chief executive Ian MacPherson said he was confident his organisation complied with the airport’s latest noise rules.
“We are fully compliant, so we are legally operating from Whangārei airport,” MacPherson said.
The committee’s noise complaints report tabling came two days after WDC politicians unanimously voted to extend NRHL’s Kensington sports ground ease – for up to three years.
NRHL’s emergency helicopter flights shifted to the airport in July, but its helicopter maintenance remained at the Kensington Park site, which it leases from WDC.
Training flights are still carried out away from Onerahi airport.
The politicians’ unanimous decision was made despite warnings in a staff report to council that doing so risked legal challenge via a High Court judicial review application and complaints to the Ombudsman.
Burt said the Kensington community had been expecting NRHL to vacate the Kensington site by June.
■ LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
