He said the current lease for the airport had been running on a month-to-month basis.
“FNDC and local iwi have been in negotiations with the Crown to renew the lease since it expired... and to resolve the lease issue at the Kaitāia Airport in order to secure its future,” Johnson said.
“The council has allocated funds for essential improvements to the main airport runway, a residential dwelling and the terminal building.
“Council staff and elected members have been proactively facilitating hui [meetings] with iwi for positive outcomes to enable Kaitāia Airport to continue to operate for the communities of the Far North.
“It is hoped these negotiations will be concluded by the end of this year.”
Johnson said the Treaty of Waitangi settlement bills included the option of purchasing the airport land, providing it remained an aerodrome.
Te Rūnanga a iwi o Ngāti Kahu chairwoman professor Margaret Mutu stated the airport matter related to the Waitangi Tribunal claim of the Erstich whānau, or more accurately, the descendants of Kataraina Matenga, who married Ante Erstich.
Mutu said the whānau are of the Patukōraha hapū of Karepōnia marae and their iwi is Ngāti Kahu.
According to Mutu, the Crown had issued itself title to the land but the true owners were the descendants of Kataraina and Ante Erstich and the Crown was yet to rectify that.
“The land the airport is on was taken from Kataraina, via her husband Ante, for military purposes during World War II on the promise that it would be returned,” Mutu said.
“Some land was also taken from the neighbouring hapū, Ngāi Tohianga. It was taken using the Public Works Act, which requires such land to be offered back to those it was taken from. It has never been returned.”
Mutu said Ngāti Kahu supported the repossession of those lands led by the Erstich whānau, Patukōraha, Ngāi Tohianga and Te Paatu when the Government tried to allegedly sell it to another iwi in 2015.
“FNDC has a much greater chance of resolving the lease issues if they talked to Ngāti Kahu because that is who the Erstich whānau has asked to represent them,” Mutu said.
“The Erstich whānau have told the Government [Linz] they are happy for their land to remain an airport now (and after it is returned to them) and for FNDC to lease it for that purpose.
“The whānau has no issue with the airport as it’s a service and benefit to the people. This is the only reason they haven’t fought harder to get it back.”
Kaitāia Airport was originally built for American long-range bombers that could reach parts of the South Pacific from their base in the Far North.
After the bombing of Pearl Harbour in December 1941, New Zealand became aware of its vulnerability to Japanese attack, with Northland seen as the most likely launch point for an assault on Auckland.
Since its establishment, the airport has been a vital resource for the Far North, used by medical specialists supporting Kaitāia Hospital and for private business jets.
Other industries at the airport include a Niwa monitoring station, a hire car company and an active community aero club.
An upgrade to the airport in 2005 allowed Air New Zealand to fly into Kaitāia with its Bombardier and ATR 72-500 aircraft.
At the end of April 2015, Air New Zealand discontinued its service between Kaitāia and Auckland, with Barrier Air starting its daily service to Auckland Airport on April 28, 2015.
One of the top concerns from locals around the closure of the airport was the disruption to medical staff coming into the region.
A lack of connectivity was also a concern in the case of an emergency.
FNDC’s Johnson said maintaining the operation of the airport facilities and investing in improvements were included in the ongoing negotiations between the Crown, the FNDC and local iwi.
Johnson was adamant Kaitāia Airport was unlikely to close, but said if it were, air travel would still be achieved through the use of helicopters.
“If an emergency was to arise (and the airport was closed) depending on the severity of the emergency, it would be possible for the NZ Defence Force to establish a temporary, emergency runway there,” Johnson said.
“However such a measure would require approval from and coordination with central government.
“The roading network would remain an alternative transport link.”
Toitū Te Whenua Linz head of Crown property Sonya Wikitera said the agency was currently managing this property on behalf of the Crown, which was one of around 900 in the Treaty Settlements Landbank.
“We have been working with the Far North District Council to finalise a new lease agreement which will include a termination clause for any future treaty settlements,” Wikitera said.
“This new lease agreement should be finalised by the end of the year.”
