Councillors back call for the Crown to return airport land

Kāpiti Coast District Councillors passed a unanimous resolution on 27 August 2020 to support the call by the original owners of the Kāpiti Coast Airport land for the return of their ancestral land.

Mayor K Gurunathan says the resolution was passed following an impassioned plea to Councillors by descendants of the original owners of the land to back their call to the Crown to return the land to public ownership and to keep the airport operating.

“As a Council we are committed to fulfilling the aspirations of, and working collaboratively with our iwi partners, central government and key stakeholders to achieve good quality outcomes for our community.”

“We are keen to understand NZ PropCo Ltd’s vision for the land and welcome further conversation with all parties involved, including the Crown.”

Councillors have tasked Chief Executive Officer, Wayne Maxwell, with bringing a report back to the full Council in September with options on how progress this matter.