Hawke’s Bay Airport Corporatisation Marks Milestone
Today's corporatisation of Hawke's Bay Airport marks a significant milestone for the region's airport.
Hawke's Bay Airport is now operating as a company, with the Crown, Hastings District Council and Napier City Council as shareholders.
Hastings Mayor Lawrence Yule says the airport corporatisation is a brilliant example of the two councils working together for the benefit of the region.
"The runway extension has become significantly closer and I am delighted that all of the hard work by the Napier and Hastings councils has finally been rewarded," Mayor Yule says.
"We have driven this hard with the Government and now the airport can finally be run as a company with all the commercial decision-making powers of a business.
Napier Mayor Barbara Arnott says the corporatisation means the runway extension and development of land around the airport can now be considered by the new board.
The directors are Jim Scotland and Stuart Webster, who are appointed by the government, and Tony Porter and John Palairet, appointed by the Councils.
"The directors who will sit on the board will offer significant business skills to take the airport forward and I am delighted we have been able to retain two experienced directors for continuity of the business," Mayor Arnott says.
The airport will continue to be owned 50 percent by the Crown, 26 percent by Napier City Council and 24 percent by Hastings District Council.
Director Biographies:
Jim Scotland from Havelock North is a company director who has a number of business interests both within and outside of the Hawke's Bay, mainly focusing on infrastructure and agribusiness. Mr Scotland's current principal governance roles are as Chair of Port of Napier Ltd, Director of Seeka Kiwifruit Industries Ltd and Director of the Crown research institute, New Zealand Institute of Plant & Food Research Ltd.
He has held a number of other directorships in Crown companies, including being Deputy Chair of Hort Research prior to the merger that created Plant and Food Research, and as a former director of state-owned enterprises AgriQuality Ltd, and Landcorp Farming Ltd.
Stuart Webster has been a partner in the Napier law firm, Sainsbury Logan and Williams, since 1990. He is a shareholder and director in the olive oil producer The Village Press Ltd, Deputy Chair of the Board of Trustees of Iona College, and a board member of Justitia Mutual. Mr Webster had held directorships in a number of companies in the Hawke's Bay region and has been active in governance in the Law Society, both locally and nationally.
For more information:
Erin Harford
Communications Manager
Hastings District Council
(06) 871 5056
027 275 5205
