Stage Two Feedback
Wānaka Airport Future Review
From: Southern Hang Gliding & Paragliding Club (SHGPA) and New Zealand Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association (NZHGPA)
Feedback for the second round of community engagement on future scenarios for Wānaka Airport, running 29 August – 18 September 2025. letstalk.qldc.govt.nz
"Wānaka, with its spectacular landscape, is the beating heart of free flight in New Zealand and a site of international significance. Any expansion that compromises this unique airspace poses an existential risk to our sport of Hang Gliding and Paragliding and jeopardises the natural values of peace and tranquillity that attract so many visitors to the region. The New Zealand Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association (NZHGPA) strongly supports the submission from the Southern Hang Gliding and Paragliding Club (SHGPC), and urges the Council and others, to preserve Wānaka as a low-impact general aviation hub, one that reflects community values and protects this beautiful, world-class flying environment for future generations.
Despite Paragliding and Hang Glidings economic contribution and visual prominence in regional marketing, we receive zero dedicated council support, while other community sports receive ongoing funding, a disparity we hope can be addressed through basic recognition. We would like to ensure recreational free flight has representation in airspace discussions alongside commercial interests, and provide basic recognition proportional to our 50+ year community contribution and annual economic impact."
Nick Taber
CEO NZHGPA
Our Connection to the Airport
We (paraglider, hang glider and speed flyers) don't launch from the runway, we rely on open, accessible airspace and a healthy GA ecosystem. Airport direction directly shapes safety, viability, and the continued existence of free flight in the basin.
Our Position on Development
Support: Option 3
A status-quo / regional airport model (commuter services like Sounds Air, GA, training), conditional on no changes to airspace. This option aligns with the sentiment from other GA users and residents.
Oppose:
Runway extension and any development enabling ATR/jet operations. We question commercial viability, environmental fit, and community mandate for such growth.
Request:
Financial transparency publish current airport financials, necessary investments, realistic returns and risks per scenario so the public can make informed choices.
Source: unknown link
Scenario 3: General Aviation with Regional Domestic Links (Christchurch and/or Wellington)
What this scenario means
Wānaka Airport would remain a General Aviation Airport, but would also host scheduled regional flights to Christchurch and/or Wellington (or to other South Island towns if there is sustained demand). Large jets like A320s or B737s would not operate under this scenario.
Background
In the first round of engagement, 32% of respondents wanted more connectivity, and 29% said this should only be to New Zealand cities such as Christchurch or Wellington.
With the recent announcement from Sounds Air ceasing operations at Wānaka Airport, there will soon be no scheduled passenger flights to or from Wānaka. To achieve this scenario, the airport would need to attract and work with airline operators (such as Air New Zealand, Sounds Air, Air Chathams or similar) in the short to medium term (0–5 years). The viability of a route would depend on sustainable passenger numbers and willingness to pay.
This scenario would use turboprop aircraft, typically carrying between 8–30 passengers. This is the typical size limit of aircraft that could fly to Christchurch or Wellington with the existing runway at Wānaka Airport staying the same length.
Potential Benefits
  • Direct domestic air connections to Christchurch and/or Wellington, making travel easier for residents, visitors, and medical needs
  • General Aviation continues with minimal disruption
  • Greater ability for the airport to cover costs through airline and passenger charges
  • Certainty for existing businesses with a clearer long-term plan
  • No larger jets (e.g. A320s or B737s), which 15% of respondents specifically opposed
  • No or minimal change to local airspace management
  • No need to attain full CAA Part 139 aerodrome certification
  • Can be achieved with the current runway length
What Would Likely Be Required
  • Ongoing basic safety and compliance requirement upgrades
  • Attracting an airline(s) to operate scheduled services (currently, no forthcoming plans exist)
  • A small terminal upgrade for passenger handling
  • Carparking upgrades and potentially a passenger service to town
Potential Downsides
  • Higher operating costs for ratepayers due to safety, compliance, and maintenance
  • Air New Zealand does not run any aircraft of this size and Sounds Air who was running similar services no longer runs a scheduled service to Wānaka Airport
  • Capital costs for terminal and parking upgrades, likely requiring central government support
  • Could take 0–5+ years to achieve, depending on airline and government involvement
Source: Egis Survey
Who We Are
SHGPA represents 300+ active members across the Southern Lakes one of the region's largest sporting communities. Nationally there are 1700 pilots many of whom travel to the area for flying. Wānaka Basin is recognised as a top-tier global free-flight destination, drawing international pilots and multi-day visitors. Our members contribute meaningful, often under-measured, tourism value.
While paragliders appear in virtually many tourism photo promoting our region, free flight receives zero dedicated council support despite generating an estimated $7-10 million annually through tandem operations alone.
Team sports receive ongoing funding for facilities and maintenance, yet our 300+ member community maintains launch and landing sites through volunteers, saving council costs while contributing significantly to the local economy. We're not asking for equality with team sports, just basic recognition that a 50+ year community sport deserves more than zero support.
The conversation around airspace has been dominated by commercial aviation operators, but the recreational voice that built this flying community over five decades needs representation in decisions affecting our future.
Heritage
Hang gliding since the 1970s; paragliding since the late 1980s. Free flight is part of Wānaka's aviation identity and community fabric.
Global Draw
Events like Wānaka Hike & Fly and films like Frequent Flyers profile the basin as world-class.
Low-impact
Foot-launched, non-motorised aviation aligns with climate goals and healthy, outdoor lifestyles.
Why Wānaka is the Heart of Free Flight in New Zealand
Source: Thermal.kk7 historical tracks sourced from online track logs
Wānaka is not simply one of several flying sites, it is the heart of free flight in New Zealand. Every current New Zealand paragliding distance record has been set from the Southern Lakes area underscoring the world-class quality of its airspace and terrain.
International pilots travel here specifically to experience this environment, often describing Wānaka as a “must-fly” destination on the global circuit. Events such as Wānaka Hike & Fly, Magic Land, and international film projects highlight the area’s global significance.
It is also important to note that not all flights originate in Wānaka. Many paraglider and hang glider flights launch from nearby sites such as Treble Cone, or even further afield, while glider flights from Omarama and long cross-country flights from Queenstown or the West Coast often traverse the basin.
This means Wānaka airspace is a linking corridor. Any changes to procedures or controlled airspace here would disrupt the ability to connect long-distance flights, threatening both recreational and the international appeal of the region as a free-flight destination.
The Southern Lakes region is New Zealand's only high-altitude mountain training ground, making it critical for developing beginner and advanced pilots. Many pilots who train here in Wanaka's unique conditions go on to become commercial tandem operators, creating a vital pipeline for the adventure tourism industry. Restricting our airspace would undermine this training function and drive pilots to train elsewhere, weakening both our local flying community and the broader tourism workforce we help develop.
The following map of historical flight tracks illustrates these soaring corridors and thermal routes, which we seek to protect from encroachment by incompatible airport development or restrictive airspace design:
👉 https://thermal.kk7.ch/#-44.603,169.062,10
Complementary maps of established launch areas and flight zones, such as those at Treble Cone, further demonstrate the breadth of existing activity and the integration of free flight into the landscape:
👉 https://southernclub.co.nz/treble-cone/
Together, these records and maps show why Wānaka is internationally recognised as one of the top destinations for free flight worldwide.
Wānaka's Free Flight Legacy
A Rich History
Free flight has been part of Wānaka and Southern Lakes identity for over 50 years, with hang gliding beginning in the 1970s and paragliding taking off in the late 1980s. This legacy has helped establish the region as a premier destination for pilots worldwide.

New Zealand Geographic

The Science of Free Flight | New Zealand Geographic

An action-packed look at the science and psychology behind the extreme adventure of paragliding.

2001 First flight from Wanaka to Mt Cook
World-Class Terrain
Unique mountain conditions and thermal patterns make Wānaka one of the top 10 global free flight destinations and has become renowned for it's Fly and Hike opportunities.
Signature Events
Wānaka Hike & Fly and Magic Land Festival attract international competitors and spectators
Media Showcase
Films like "Frequent Flyers" showcase Wānaka's spectacular flying conditions to global audiences
Tourism Value
Free flight visitors contribute significant economic value, especially during shoulder seasons
Vol Biv/Hike and Fly Trends-
In addition to record-setting cross-country flights, Wānaka has also become a focal point for the rapid global growth of Hike & Fly and Vol-Biv (multi-day, bivouac-style) paragliding. These disciplines combine mountaineering, endurance, and flight, and are among the fastest-growing branches of the sport worldwide.
New Zealand is increasingly recognised on this circuit, with Wānaka’s unique terrain, access, and culture positioning it as the natural home for Hike & Fly in the Southern Hemisphere. The annual Wānaka Hike & Fly event has already established itself on the international calendar, attracting elite overseas athletes as well as inspiring the next generation of Kiwi pilots.
Protecting Wānaka’s airspace is therefore not only about safeguarding heritage, but also about ensuring that New Zealand remains connected to the future of global free flight innovation and tourism.
Airspace, Procedures & Safety
Free Flight + GA + Gliding
Expansion to accommodate larger jets and ATRs will almost certainly require new controlled airspace, restricted zones, and greater separation requirements, making world-class cross-country flying impossible.
Lessons from Queenstown:
Free flight around the Wakatipu Basin was once possible. Before the introduction of night flights and expanding jet services, pilots could enjoy cross-country and local flights with reasonable freedom. Today, free flight in Queenstown is extremely compartmentalised and diminished. Except for the longest two to three days of the year, when daylight hours exceed tower operations, cross-country flight opportunities are severely constrained by airspace control. There is now little freedom for novice pilots to safely explore or build skills locally, without facing the much greater risks of remote backcountry XC flying. Wanaka’s expansion risks repeating this same pattern, eroding the rare, accessible, and globally significant free flight environment that currently exists.
  • Plan airspace with infrastructure: Any airport scenario must publish the airspace & RNP approach implications side-by-side (e.g., controlled areas, MBZ proposals, frequency plans).
  • MBZ caution: MBZs can increase frequency load and distraction in complex terrain, without solving root conflicts risking reduced safety for all users.
  • Integration with gliding: Our soaring routes overlap with glider operations ex-Omarama, which is widely regarded as one of the top 10 places in the world to fly gliders (see video below). Gliders can carry transponders, paragliders cannot. Procedure design must explicitly accommodate non-transponder users.
  • Evidence base: Use real flight data to inform design historical track logs, thermal maps, and VNC-charted launch locations demonstrate where we actually fly.

Any changes to airspace must consider the unique needs of non-transponder equipped aircraft like paragliders and hang gliders.
Current Operational Safety and Risk – Sentiment
The following notes and key points from the recent Wanaka Airport Stakeholders meeting with Egis.
“There doesn't seem to be very many airspace incidents or aircraft incidents at all in the Wānaka Airport region, so things must be really okay. The procedures and the airspace throughout Wānaka have been developed through knowledge from the long-term operators here.”
  • This was echoed in the meeting as a point of pride and a marker of maturity in the local aviation community.
  • Stakeholders noted that existing systems are working well, especially the collaborative culture, preferred VFR arrival/departure routes, and helicopter use of the circuit.
  • Despite criticisms of QAC and infrastructure gaps, the actual operational risk environment is perceived as low, with no major safety concerns flagged.
  • The airport community’s self-organised safety practices (e.g. shared traffic flows, situational awareness, coordination) were credited with preventing issues.
  • Consultants acknowledged that from a national perspective, Wānaka was unusually well-run and cooperative for a mixed-use airport of its size.
Governance, Culture & Public Trust
Current Issues
Prior QAC processes damaged trust. The masterplan must be community-led, transparent, and locally accountable.
Recommended Model
We recommend exploring a local/community trust model aligned with kaitiakitanga — guardianship of land, air, and community wellbeing.
Representation
Formalise free-flight representation in governance and technical planning forums.
Financial Transparency
It is important to note that Wānaka Airport was profitable until 2018. Since then, council-imposed charges have increased nearly fourfold to $2m annually, without equivalent investment. Framing expansion as the only solution is misleading.
“It seems that in preparation for the current airport master planning consultation process, council have set out to persuade residents and ratepayers that the only way to justify and ‘save’ Wānaka Airport is to borrow and spend many millions.” (Crux, Aug 2025)
Nick Page from protect Wanaka highlights that prior to 2018, Wānaka Airport was profitable, running at under $500,000 per annum. Since then, QLDC-imposed fees have escalated dramatically, with new overhead and management charges alone exceeding $1.25 million per year, without corresponding capital investment or clear justification. This suggests airport users are effectively subsidising council operations. We reiterate our request for a full, transparent breakdown of all airport-related council charges including depreciation, overhead, and management fees to restore public accountability and ensure future proposals are fiscally responsible.
Source: Crux via Nick Page Protect Wanaka
Economic & Strategic Opportunity
  • Commission a fit-for-purpose economic impact study that captures recreational aviation and free flight (now under-measured).
  • Position Wānaka as a Centre of Aviation Excellence: safety leadership, training/education, sustainable low-impact aviation tourism, and community-driven innovation.
Specific Requests to Aegis / QLDC
Release consultant materials
Provide notes/official summary from the recent Wānaka Airport Users Group meeting so we can verify our input is accurately captured.
Scenario clarity
For each airport scenario, publish airspace & RNP implications, radio/frequency impacts, and safety case.
Financials
Publish current financial position, capex/opex needs, demand assumptions, and commercial viability analysis per scenario. Full, transparent breakdown of all airport-related council charges including depreciation, overhead, and management fees
Governance
Commit to formal free-flight representation in ongoing design and decision-making.
Policy commitments
Maintain uncontrolled airspace over the basin and key flight routes. Moratorium on any expansion enabling jet operations unless majority community support is demonstrated via transparent consultation.
Data-driven mapping
Incorporate historical track logs, thermal density, and known launch/landing areas in the constraints/opportunities layers used by planners.
Summary Position
One page at a glance
1
Keep Wānaka regional (status quo)
Commuter services, GA, training; no runway extension, no ATR/jet operations.
2
Publish the numbers
Transparent financials and risk/return for each scenario.
3
Design airspace with users
Show explicit airspace/RMP changes per option; reject MBZs that increase distraction without clear safety benefit.
4
Protect free flight routes
Respect soaring corridors shown by historical tracks, thermal maps, and VNC launch sites.
1
Integrate all users
Procedures that work for GA, gliding, and foot-launched aircraft (non-transponder-equipped).
2
Rebuild trust
Local, transparent governance with formal free-flight representation.
3
Measure what matters
Include free-flight tourism in economic analysis.
4
Climate & wellbeing
Recognise free flight as low-impact aviation aligned with Wānaka's brand and goals.
Takeaway
Free flight is a cornerstone of Wānaka's identity and a globally recognised asset. Choices made now will either preserve a thriving, low-impact aviation culture or erode it.
We ask that the masterplan protect the status quo for regional operations, reject runway extension, and commit to transparent, airspace-aware planning that keeps free flight viable for decades to come.
Our Request

We urge decision-makers to recognise the unique value of free flight to Wānaka's identity, economy, and future as a sustainable aviation hub. Any airport development must preserve the airspace access that makes this possible.
Ngā mihi,
Jesse Due — President, SHGPA
Contacts
Nick Taber (CEO NZHGPA) [email protected]
Jesse Due (President), [email protected]
Louis Tapper (Committee Member; 6× NZ Paragliding Champion, Chair of the NZ Safety Task Force) https://www.linkedin.com/in/louis-tapper-5601542b/
Supporting Materials
(non-exhaustive)
VNC
VNC Chart showing established and recognised launch areas
Flight Frequency by region
The following is from the NZ online competition, showing double the flights of other areas in NZ.