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A petition to the Government to save Air New Zealand’s Nelson regional maintenance facilities will be presented to Parliament on Wednesday.
Air New Zealand has put forward a proposal to close the region’s heavy maintenance facilities and move it to Christchurch to reduce the airline’s costs.
A decision on the proposal has yet to be made, as stakeholders from Nelson Airport met with Air New Zealand in an emergency meeting on Thursday.
The petition was organized by the local man, Willie Snowden, who had raised awareness of the situation and subsequently obtained more than 16,300 signatures on Tuesday.
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While it did not meet the target of 20,000 it was initially seeking, the number of signatures showed the level of support the facility had within the Nelson region and beyond.
“Once you get more than 10,000 it’s a significant number, so it’s worth it to have that extra week and hit 16,000.”
Martin De Ruyter / Things
Air New Zealand ATR-72 and Q300 aircraft at the Air New Zealand Regional Maintenance facility in Nelson.
“You always aim high, don’t you?”
Snowden said he understood that there had been some useful dialogue between all parties involved in the recent meeting.
“As a company, you would have hoped they would have listened, so I hope this puts a little pressure on the government to put a little pressure on Air New Zealand.”
“I am not the driving force to be honest, but I am more than happy to do what I have done.”
Snowden said next week will be crucial as the staff consultation period will end last weekend and a final decision is expected on Friday.
Martin De Ruyter / Things
Willie Snowden, right, presents Nelson MP Nick Smith with the petition of 16,000 people opposing the proposal to move heavy maintenance on turbo-prop planes from Nelson Airport to Christchurch.
“Our hope is that the Government and Air New Zealand will listen to the 16,000 petitioners and recognize Nelson’s efficient turbocharged base as valuable to the long-term recovery of New Zealand aviation.”
Nelson MP Nick Smith received the petition on Tuesday and said he would present it to Parliament on Wednesday, where it is expected to be presented to the Transportation Committee.
Smith said that while he could appreciate the difficult economic situation Air New Zealand was dealing with, Nelson “should not be the type of fall.”
He said the proposed closure would not only have the short-term effect of losing 100 well-paying jobs in the region, but would have a continuing effect for other companies that outsource maintenance to specialized aircraft.
“Over the past two decades, Nelson has created a strong aviation services group that diversifies the region’s economic base, but this will be affected by this closure.
“We are not opposed to a temporary reduction of the Nelson base, but we want the opportunity for it to return as aviation recovers from the Covid-19 global recession.”
Smith said the government had been “deafening in its silence” on the matter, as neither Labor, NZ First nor the Green Party came to the defense of the region and the more than 100 affected employees.
“We are very disappointed that the Minister for Regional Economic Development, Shane Jones, has shown zero interest despite claiming that he is the champion of the regions and that he previously expressed strong views on Air New Zealand’s business.”
“The injustice to Nelson is that this government would make this entire decision if it involved the loss of 100 well-paying jobs in Northland.”
Jones reiterated statements made by Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters to Parliament on his behalf last week.
He said that the Government was limited in its actions in relation to Air New Zealand due to the ownership model established by the previous National Government.
“However, I would recommend Air New Zealand to continue to interact and listen to the leaders of the Nelson region.”
“As Minister of Regional Economic Development, I continue to be interested in the fate of Nelson and the Tasman region in general. I am currently actively considering a request for additional funding for the Waimea Dam project.”
