The Government, which owns 50 per cent of the airport, and Napier and Hastings councils, which own the other 50 per cent of the airport, have indicated they will not oppose this initiative.
Why does that request cause so much angst among our supposedly enlightened population?
The airport will always be in Napier. It will always have the code NPE. It will continue to serve Hawke's Bay.
Most people will continue to refer to our airport as Hawke's Bay airport. Some will continue to refer to it as Napier airport in the same way I refer to our hospital as Hastings Hospital. Hospital because that is what it is and Hastings because that is where it is.
Does it matter? What is the problem with an institution having an appropriate and respectful official name and a more commonly used name? We are now talking about calling our hospital The Hawke's Bay Fallen Soldiers Memorial Hospital. I have no problems with that official name. Just don't expect me to say I'm going out to see a patient in the Hawke's Bay Fallen Soldiers Memorial Hospital. I will say I'm going out to Hastings to see a friend in hospital.
When we fly out of Napier, we get dropped off at the airport. There is only one airport in Hawke's Bay so in common usage it will simply be referred to as the airport.
Visitors or returning residents coming to the Bay will still fly in to Napier because that is where our airport is located. They will land at Ahuriri Hawke's Bay Airport just as travellers flying to Sydney will land at Kingsford Smith Airport. When did you last hear anybody saying they were flying to Kingsford Smith Airport?
We have seen all the texts in the paper complaining about the costs associated with the proposed change. Most suggest there will be a considerable cost associated with adopting a new official name for the airport when in fact there will be virtually no cost. The airport terminal renovation project will go ahead whether there is an official name change or not.
I am very relaxed about agreeing to the name change requested by Mana Ahuriri. I have great respect for the members of that group, a group which is about to become a major investor in the future of our city. What is good for Mana Ahuriri will be good for Napier and Hawke's Bay, and what is good for the Bay will be good for Mana Ahuriri.
We need to look beyond our prejudices and accept that the treaty settlement process is going to provide cities such as Napier and provinces such as Hawke's Bay with new business partners. The key to our province's future prosperity is accepting the reality of the situation and working with our new partners to create wealth for all.
If altering the official name of our airport to show respect for our new business partners is what is required to create that wealth, then I for one have no problems with it.
-Bill Dalton is the Mayor of Napier
-Business and civic leaders, organisers, experts in their field and interest groups can contribute opinions. The views expressed here are the writer's personal opinion. and not the newspaper's. Email: editor@hbtoday.co.nz
