A sale and purchase agreement is in place for Kapiti Coast Airport in Paraparaumu, with a buyer whose identity has not been disclosed, 1News reports through Local Democracy Reporting. Land Information New Zealand said it had engaged with the airport's holding company under the Public Works Act, which requires land no longer needed for public works to be offered back to its original owners.
The land was taken from the Puketapu hapū of Te Āti Awa ki Kāpiti in 1939 for a wartime aerodrome, and the Crown admitted in 2022 that it breached the Treaty of Waitangi over a 1999 sale. Developer NZ PropCo bought the airport in 2019 hoping to build housing. National MP Tim Costley wants it kept open for emergencies but has ruled out a government purchase. Sounds Air is now the only airline with scheduled flights there.
Source: 1News
