From the President
We have a new Government!
How will that affect the work we do with CAA?
Frankly, probably not a great deal. We know that the Minister for Transport is Hon Phil Twyford with Associate Minister Hon Shane Jones who also holds the position of Minister for Infrastructure. Then there is the Support Party Associate Minister for Transport Julie Anne Genter so at this stage we have no idea who will be the main point of contact. I have an ACAG (Aviation Community Advisory Group) meeting on the 7th November so I expect to know by then.
Other Ministers that will affect the work we do will be the Minister for State Owned Enterprises who is the Deputy PM, Hon Winston Peters and the Minister for Agriculture Hon Damien O’Conner. Hon Winston Peters will be involved in any dealings with the Minimum Aviation Infrastructure proposal I am pushing as it will involve Airways Ltd and Hon Shane Jones as Minister for Infrastructure will also be included in that issue. Infrastructure will be involved in the SBAS proposal which has the trial underway now. That is also where Hon Damien O’Conner will be involved with the use of SBAS in precision agriculture. There is work to be done in all these areas but I do not see any significant changes in the wind.
Aviation is a part of the NZ economy that really does not cause too many issues for the Government. It is safe, well regulated, funded by the user pays principle and does not have many visible signs of discord within the industry. There are issues, but mainly nothing that the public gets too concerned about so sometimes it is hard to get the attention we deserve. The Auckland Airport backlogs last week held the public’s attention for a couple of days but are readily forgotten as time goes on.
When a Government changes we have delays in getting things done but the work still goes on in the background. Our next ACAG meeting will be interesting as we have made some great steps forward in our input to the rules development process with a slightly revised Terms of Reference being up for approval. Our industry input is respected by CAA and this is a good forum for our industry to contribute.
The new 2 yearly Review of Airworthiness is now law. Unfortunately, a few of you were still caught with the old ARA but from here on there are significant benefits for aircraft owners. There is a joint CASA / CAA Medical meeting this month that Steve Brown will attend. The PPL medical reform will be discussed at the next Medical Meeting on 23rd November but this is still a way off for any decisions.
I have just come from a Nelson Airport security meeting. Nelson handles over 1 Million pax per year making it the largest regional airport in NZ. Sometimes we have delays and people everywhere but generally customer flow is well organised. We are lucky in NZ that our security at regional airports is well under control without excessive screening or delays. Don’t forget that you need Security ID’s or carry your pilots licence and wear Hi Viz vests these days at regional airports.
The Executive are meeting in Wanaka this weekend and we have a meet and greet on Friday night at the Wanaka golf club with details on the website so have a look and come along.
There are the Christmas fly-ins coming up so have a look on the web also and register. They are a good way to start the Christmas season.
Dont forget the PBN Roadshows as detailed below. Come along, learn, listen and contribute your thoughts.
Safe Flying
Ian Andrews
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