Closing Whenuapai air base will have drastic effect says report

Closing Auckland's military air base at Whenuapai will take $235 million a year and 1600 jobs out of the local economy, a report says.

The New Zealand Institute of Economic Research said that while the base had been winding down in the last 20 years, its closure within five years would affect the local economy, house prices and schools.

The report was commissioned by a west Auckland pressure group, including the Waitakere City Council, which wants the Government to keep the base for development as Auckland's second commercial airport.

The air force is due to move from Whenuapai to Ohakea near Palmerston North in the next five years and the Government is expected to consider a report next month on the disposal of the base and its facilities.

Waitakere City Council said it had already spoken to other local authorities about making the airport a commercial venture, including the North Shore and Rodney councils and government departments including the Ministry of Economic Development and the Ministry of Defence.

Earlier this year the council signed a memorandum of understanding with listed public company Infratil to develop and manage the airport if it was approved as a commercial operation.

The council said the closure would release hundreds of houses for sale, reduce school rolls and have a negative impact on community groups.

Bryan Mogridge, the head of the mayoral task force set up to promote the airport as a commercial venture, said in a statement the closure would have a drastic impact on the region but that was not the only reason for converting Whenuapai into a commercial airport.

"The business case for a second commercial airport in the region is compelling.

"Whenuapai is readily accessible for more people than Mangere (Auckland's main airport) and a second airport in the north would make a huge contribution to easing traffic congestion as the region's population increases," Mr Mogridge said.

If Whenuapai was passed up it was unlikely enough flat land would be approved for a second airport in the future.

While the air force's departure would create a "giant problem" for Waitakere, it would also create a significant opportunity for the greater Auckland region to secure a vital strategic asset, he said.

The 311ha airport has a 2km main runway and can accommodate Boeing 737 and 767 aircraft with a three to four-hour flight range.

The runway was built in 1942 to meet the demand for heavy military aircraft as the war in the South Pacific intensified.

It was opened to civilian air traffic from 1945 until 1965 when the new airport was opened at Mangere.

- NZPA