Other opportunities await

Liz Pollock, who has managed the Wings over Wairarapa airshow for the past eight years, has decided to quit the role.

The position of events manager will soon be advertised by Wings Over Wairarapa Community Trust.

Ms Pollock began managing the biennial airshow, which is held at Hood Aerodrome, in 2005.

She said she had been "privileged" to see it grow and mature and to meet and work with "some extraordinary people".

"I've also had a glimpse into the fascinating world of aviation and will look back on these years as a very special time in my career.

"However, it's time for me to explore other opportunities," Ms Pollock said.

Wings Over Wairarapa airshow director Tom Williams said Ms Pollock's contribution to the airshow had been invaluable.

"Liz has achieved all we required and much more since she first took on the event manager's position. She has grown the event with each subsequent airshow so that the range of display aircraft, entertainment and food, visitor parking and traffic management have all improved year on year," he said.

This year's Wings Over Wairarapa has been heralded as the best yet. More than 30,000 attended over the three days and the show featured the best line-up of aircraft seen in New Zealand in many years, including a rare de Havilland Mosquito fighter/bomber.

Destination Wairarapa statistics show almost $4.6million was spent in the district during the weekend of the airshow.

That was 8.2 per cent more than the corresponding weekend in 2012 and 16.2 per cent up on 2011.

Trust chairman Bob Francis thanked Ms Pollock for her contribution to the airshow and said the trust would now advertise the position left vacant by her departure.