In New Zealand the expression “airport” has a limited meaning, embracing only the runways, taxiways, and other ground areas on which aircraft move, together with the hangars, offices, passengers' accommodation, and other buildings. In order to enable aircraft to fly safely to and from these airports, a whole range of important “airways facilities” is provided by the State (Department of Civil Aviation). Operators pay “airport dues” in respect of the airport facilities and “airways dues” in respect of the airways facilities.

The purpose of the airways facilities is to enable aircraft to navigate safely and certainly, to know their positions at all times, to know of possible dangers, such as bad weather, and to receive and comply with instructions on how they should proceed in certain controlled areas. The main facilities are air-traffic control, navigational aids, radio communications, and meteorological services, as well as fire and rescue services.

Throughout New Zealand there are radio beacons (non-directional beacons or NDBs). A flight captain can tune in to one or more of these beacons and, knowing their location, can find his own position, even though he is flying above cloud or in darkness.

The two main islands of New Zealand constitute a long, narrow country of over 1,000 miles in length with a small population of 2½ million in widely eparated main groups. The chief centre of population, Auckland, is near the northern extremity; the large population surrounding the capital is at the far end of the North Island; and the population centres of the South Island–Christchurch, Dunedin, and Invercargill–complete the links of a very long chain. Apart from these major centres, which constitute the “domestic trunk route” on which the bulk of the air traffic flows, there are sizable population centres around the perimeter of the North Island and in the central areas, but the remainder of the population is in scattered small communities. These facts in them–selves would make it unlikely that every district would be conveniently served by air. Other factors limiting the provision of airports are the rugged and broken terrain of most of the country and the chronic short age of capital and labour which noticeably affect the national economy. In spite of these difficulties, much has in fact been done. There are over 100 licensed aerodromes in New Zealand, and about 10,000 grass strips are used for agricultural aviation. Of the licensed-aerodromes the majority are grass fields, and unsuitable for operations by modern turbine-engined aircraft. A number of new paved aerodromes are to be built, but for many of the smaller centres of population the quest for a modern small transport aircraft, capable of economical operation from grass airfields, is of primary importance.

In the development of aerodromes advantage has been taken of the local civic pride, which has continued to be a marked feature of New Zealand life since the foundation of the original separate settlements in the nineteenth century. A policy of sharing with local authorities the costs and the operation of aerodromes extends even to the main airports at Wellington and Christchurch and to New Zealand's new international airport under construction at Mangere, near Auckland. The State, however, finances and provides such “airways facilities” as navigational aids, aeronautical communications, meteorological services, and air-traffic control.

Wellington handles more passengers than any other airport in New Zealand (domestic travel included) but Auckland is the logical site for the main international airport because it is the largest population centre and nearest to the air routes between Australia, the Pacific, and the Americas. In 1964, however, the best runway in New Zealand for long-range international services was at Christchurch. The topography of Wellington limits the length of its runway, which has steep hills near one end and the sea at the other. In Auckland, the existing aerodrome (Whenuapai) is an Air Force aerodrome, built during the war of hexagonal concrete blocks and not strong enough for the largest modern aircraft: strengthening would be a difficult and costly undertaking owing to unsatisfactory subsoil. Christchurch, on the other hand, has an airport built on an extremely hard subsoil and of great strength.

Principal features of the main airports are:

Auckland (Whenuapai). Jointly operated by the Royal New Zealand Air Force and the Civil Aviation Administration, it constitutes New Zealand's main international airport at present. There are three runways, of lengths 4,590, 5,150, and 4,650 ft. It is suitable for international operations by most piston-engined and turbo-propeller aircraft, but not by large jet aircraft.

Auckland (Mangere). To be completed in 1965. The main runway, which is to be of concrete, will initially be 8,500ft long and capable of handling all types of aircraft; but large jet aircraft may not be able to take off with full loads for long flights (for example, non-stop to Honolulu) until the runway is further extended to 10,000 ft.

Wellington (Rongotai) Airport. Is built on a narrow neck of land between Wellington harbour and Cook Strait, a large hill having been levelled to make room for it. It is unusual in being only 3 miles from the centre of the city. The main runway is 5,350 ft long, and the combination of the sea at one end and steep hills near the other would make it difficult and costly to provide any useful extension. Consequently, there are restrictions on the availability of the airport for large aircraft. The Electra aircraft of Tasman Empire Airways and QANTAS provide services between Wellington and Australia, and occasional international charter flights land at Wellington, but the airport cannot receive the largest types of modern aircraft, such as the Boeing 707 jet, and, owing to possible hazards from the surrounding hills, night flying is permitted only to flight captains familiar with the terrain. It is, of course, the hub of the domestic air network.

Christchurch (Harewood) Airport is built on the gravel bed of a former river, has two runways, one of 6,600 ft and one of 5,700 ft, which are of great strength. The airport is the base for the United States Deep Freeze Organisation, which employs very large freighter aircraft for the Antarctic. The airport also handles domestic and trans-Tasman services. Runway extensions and provision of technical aids to cater for commercial jet services are in hand.

At all New Zealand airports a keen endeavour is being made to earn revenue from sources other than aircraft operators. Advertisement space, office accommodation, shops, and similar concessions are leased, frequently on a profit-sharing basis. Car parks, restaurants, and similar amenities provide other important sources of income.

New Zealand's remoteness from the rest of the world and its exceptionally large volume of overseas trade per head of population combine to make this country uniquely dependent on air and sea transport.

The Second World War reinforced the awareness, shown by successive Governments, of the importance of New Zealand's ability to exercise some influence in that field. New Zealand did not at first feel able to undertake on its own the financial responsibility for an international airline; and this fact, together with a real belief in international collaboration, led New Zealand to support, in the International Civil Aviation Organisation, the concept of a great airline jointly owned by many nations. This, however, did not come to fruition. But New Zealand did become a partner in British Commonwealth Pacific Airlines, of which the New Zealand Government held 30 per cent of the shares, the United Kingdom Government 20 per cent, and the Australian Government 50 per cent. BCPA operated trans-Pacific services on the Auckland–Nandi–Canton Island–Honolulu–San Francisco–Vancouver route from 1947 to 1954 when it was wound up. In 1940 New Zealand had also become a shareholder in Tasman Empire Airways Ltd., which gave regional services to Australia, Fiji, and Tahiti. In 1954 the United Kingdom withdrew from TEAL also, and Australia and New Zealand each became 50 per cent shareholders. By 1961 it had become clear that this joint ownership of the air-line had disadvantages, for each nation wished to plan its own airline policies. There was also a risk of difficulties in securing traffic rights from other countries, which are usually the result of bilateral negotiations. Neither Australia nor New Zealand would necessarily be regarded by other countries as being solely responsible for TEAL and for any exchange of rights on its behalf. These considerations became more important with the decision to build a full-scale international airport at Mangere, near Auckland, which, together with the new airports in Tahiti and in American Samoa, foreshadowed services by large jet aircraft between Australia and the United States via New Zealand, thus ending TEAL's Tasman monopoly and adding force to the arguments for TEAL to expand its route network in order to retain an adequate basis of operation. By 1961 also the trans-Tasman air traffic had increased to a point where it appeared economically possible to share TEAL'S traditional Tasman monopoly with QANTAS–which would be naturally inevitable if the Australian Government granted rights in Australia to a wholly owned New Zealand airline. Finally, by 1961 the air was obviously the dominant form of passenger transport (nearly two-thirds of all passengers to and from New Zealand in the year ended 31 March 1961 travelled by air) and air freight was increasing in importance. With all these considerations in mind the New Zealand Government negotiated for the purchase of the Australian shareholding in TEAL. The arrangements, which were concluded in July 1961, included the purchase of the Australian shareholding at par value (£N.Z.811,400), together with an intergovernmental agreement granting QANTAS rights to and through New Zealand and TEAL rights to and through Australia. The New Zealand Government, in announcing the agreement, paid tribute to Australia for the support which the larger country had given through the 21 years of the joint airline's existence.

In 1964 Tasman Empire Airways had a fleet of three Lockheed Electra aircraft on routes between Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch on the one hand, and Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane on the other. In addition TEAL served Fiji and American Samoa, and (using a DC4 chartered from QANTAS) the Australian territory of Norfolk Island. In early years the airline had lost money, but from 1954 (when DC6 aircraft replaced flying boats) until 1964 it had earned over £1 million in profits. Irrespective of net profits, the company also represented an important source of gains and savings in overseas currency. In late 1965 TEAL will receive a fleet of three Douglas DC8 large jet aircraft for the operation of services to the United States and the Orient. The company's name will become Air New Zealand, although “TEAL” will be retained as a “brand name”.

In the year ended 31 March 1964 TEAL carried 91,766 passengers over the Tasman, 27,885 between New Zealand and Fiji, and 3,838 on the Norfolk Island and Tahiti routes–a total of 123,489 – and also carried 1,212 tons of freight and 450 tons of mail. Total revenues were £5,022,696, and net surplus for the year (after providing for obsolescence and taxation) was £205,382. These results justified the decision by Government that TEAL's monopoly of the Tasman need not be maintained.

An airline of relatively small size, such as TEAL, may have higher unit costs than larger airlines. In the case of TEAL, this tendency has been offset by high aircraft utilisation, both in terms of load factor and in aircraft hours per annum, by economical organisation, and also by the use of the company's engineering workshops for contract work on behalf of the Royal New Zealand Air Force, agricultural aviation and other small operators, the Army, Navy, and shipping companies. These operations showed a profit.

In October 1961 QANTAS Empire Airways also commenced trans-Tasman operations, and provided initially three services to every seven operated by TEAL. The ratio changed to four to six in 1962.

Other international companies to and from New Zealand in 1964 were Pan-American World Airways, Canadian Pacific Airlines, and British Overseas Airways Corporation, which operated Comet jet services from London across the Tasman.

The Corporation's total staff was 2,223. Gross assets were valued at £10,528,780. Operating revenue for the year ended 31 March 1964 was £6,223,340, providing an operating profit of £282,140, producing a net profit of £18,069.

The Corporation provided a comprehensive network of services throughout the country, as is shown in the accompanying map. The extension of New Zealand National Airways Corporation's services to smaller centres of population, and on subsidiary routes, was not complete; this was due not only to normal economic considerations but also to aerodrome limitations and the granting of licences to private operators to serve such routes.

New Zealand National Airways Corporation carried 836,151 passengers (one-way trips) in the year ended 31 March 1964, and 16,265 tons of freight (311 million passenger-miles and 4·2 million freight ton-miles). 82 per cent of the Corporation's revenue was earned from passenger carriage, and 12 per cent was from freight.

New Zealand National Airways Corporation's operations are of a short-haul nature, the average passenger haul being only 263 miles.

South Pacific Airlines of New Zealand, a privately owned company, began operations in December 1960 with two Viewmaster aircraft–DC3s with very large viewing windows and other modifications. Ansett Transport Industries of Australia owned 49 per cent of the shareholding and there were many small New Zealand shareholders. The company's aims were stated to be the provision of services to areas inadequately served by the National Airways Corporation and the development of tourist travel. During its first year of operations the company budgeted for, and made, a substantial loss. During this year, however, the Air Services Licensing Authority granted the company an extensive network of scheduled services and the right to increase its fleet to five DC3 aircraft.

Straits Air Freight Express Ltd., a subsidiary of British United Airways (of the United Kingdom) provided all freight services under contract to New Zealand Railways, the company's sole customer. The principal operations were high-frequency short-haul services across Cook Strait, thus providing a vehicle ferry and an air link for freight between the rail systems of the North and South Islands. In the year ended 31 March 1964 the company's fleet of six Bristol Freighters carried 39,132 tons of freight.

Non-scheduled, air-taxi, and air-charter services, together with topdressing and other aerial work, employed 108 small private firms throughout New Zealand. The aircraft engaged were small. Aero clubs (40) which employed 127 aircraft, engaged in commercial services to a substantial extent.

Whilst these smaller operators accounted for only a minor share in the normal air-transport services, many of them were engaged in aerial topdressing, which is of outstanding importance in New Zealand. In the year ended 31 March 1964, 746,795 tons of fertiliser and lime were distributed by air throughout New Zealand, and 2,116,730 gallons of insecticides, fungicides, and weedkillers were sprayed from the air.

The New Zealand National Airways Corporation, at 31 March 1964, owned the following fleet:

The principal legislation governing civil aviation in New Zealand consists of the Civil Aviation Act of 1964, the National Airways Act of 1945, the Air Services Licensing Act of 1951, and the International Air Services Licensing Act of 1947, together with amendments to those Acts and a comprehensive body of regulations thereunder.

The Civil Aviation Act of 1964 established a Department of Civil Aviation whose principal functions, inter alia, are to promote and encourage the economic and orderly development of civil aviation, to initiate and carry out surveys into any aspect of civil aviation, to provide for the investigation of aircraft accidents, and to maintain a national meteorological service. The Act enables regulations to be made for regulating civil aviation and for giving effect to the Chicago Convention of 1944 which established the International Civil Aviation Organisation. This lays down technical standards governing the provision of aerodromes, aviation facilities, and many other matters affecting the safety, efficiency, and regularity of air traffic. The Act empowers the Minister of Civil Aviation to establish and operate aerodromes and facilities. Comprehensive regulations under this Act govern the operation of civil aircraft within New Zealand, including Rules of the Air, qualifications of personnel, engineering and maintenance standards, etc. The Civil Aviation (Charges) Regulations prescribe the dues payable by aircraft operators for the use of airports and airways facilities.

The New Zealand National Airways Act of 1945 established the New Zealand National Airways Corporation to provide air services for the transport of passengers and goods within New Zealand and to “satisfy the need for air services within New Zealand”. The Corporation has five directors appointed from time to time by the Governor-General. Provision is made for the Minister of Finance to advance capital to the Corporation. Net profits, after provision for reserves and any accumulated losses, are to be paid into the Public Account. This Act had been modified in important particulars from time to time, and for a period it was clearly intended that the Corporation should have monopoly powers. This is no longer the case, and licences have been granted to private operators, under the Air Services Licensing Act, which impinge upon the Corporation's actual and intended operations, whilst New Zealand National Airways Corporation, like any other operator, must seek licences under that Act.

The Air Services Licensing Act of 1951 set up an independent Air Services Licensing Authority of four persons to hear and decide upon applications from persons wishing to operate air services (air transport or aerial topdressing) for hire or reward within New Zealand. On receiving an application the Authority must advertise it, and any interested party may object, in a public hearing, to the granting of the licence. The authority must take into account any such objections, and must also consider the extent to which the proposed service is necessary or desirable in the public interest, the transport needs of the district proposed to be served, the transport services (air, land, and water) already provided, and other matters. If the Authority decides to grant any licence, it may stipulate conditions. It does, in particular, stipulate that adequate insurance must be taken to cover risks to passengers and others. Licences may be valid for a period up to seven years. Appeals against decisions of the Authority may be made to an Air Services Licensing Appeal Authority.

The International Air Services Licensing Act of 1947 prohibits the operations of international air services except under a licence granted by the Minister in Charge of Civil Aviation. (This Act relates to regular or systematic services; occasional charter flights do not need a licence, but must be separately authorised under the Civil Aviation Act of 1964.) In considering any application for an international air service licence “the Minister shall have regard generally to any international conventions, agreements and arrangements to which the Government of New Zealand is a party”. The Minister may prescribe, inter alia, aircraft types and numbers, frequency of services, and fares.

The general effect of this body of legislation is that any New Zealand operator who wishes to provide domestic commercial services must have his aircraft, aircrew, and maintenance organisation approved by the Department of Civil Aviation, and must thereafter comply with detailed safety regulations administered by the Department. He must also (with some exceptions) obtain a licence from the Air Services Licensing Authority and abide by the Air Services Licensing Authority's economic regulations. International scheduled services require a licence from the Minister under the Air Services Licensing Act and international non-scheduled services need special approval in each case. (A similarly comprehensive system of regulation is enforced by most other countries.)

Whereas the First World War had stimulated the initial development of flying machines, the Second World War brought them with giant strides to a dominant position not only as weapons but also as a normal form of transport. This complete change of situation has been recognised in New Zealand by, among other things, a comprehensive system of controlling legislation, the development of the New Zealand National Airways Corporation, and, in 1961, by the New Zealand Government in taking over the complete ownership of Tasman Empire Airways Ltd.

By 1961 New Zealand possessed a nation-wide network of domestic services employing two types of turbo-prop aircraft as well as piston-engined aircraft, numerous private operators, a specialist domestic air-freight company, and its own network of services to Australia, Fiji, the Samoas, and Tahiti, as well as those to the rest of the world by Australian, American, Canadian, and French airlines.

During the 1920s a number of companies provided commercial air services, but these were short lived.

The credit for organising the first regular scheduled passenger service in New Zealand appears to belong to F. Maurice Clarke and Squadron-Leader Malcolm McGregor who, in 1930, formed Air Travel. These two borrowed a DH 50 from the Government and on 6 November 1930 began a tri-weekly service between Christchurch and Dunedin. The public, however, was not yet ready to give their support to a scheduled air service and, after nine months, Air Travel had to close down. Seven weeks after Air Travel began its regular services, another company, Dominion Airlines Ltd., inaugurated a regular daily service between Gisborne and Hastings. This service, which began on 22 December 1930, proved particularly valuable in maintaining contact between the areas ravaged by the Napier earthquake and the rest of New Zealand. On 8 February 1931, just five days after the earthquake, the company's Desoutter monoplane crashed at Wairoa killing its three occupants. This was the first fatal air service accident in New Zealand and, as a result, Dominion Airlines was forced into liquidation.

It was in December 1934 that a Christchurch company, registered as Air Travel of New Zealand Ltd., began operations on the west coast of the South Island, where the lack of roads made other forms of communication difficult. The company's activities were maintained and extended until the outbreak of war in 1939, when the company owned 3 DH Fox Moth aircraft and 2 DH Dragonflys. East Coast Airways of Gisborne operated the Gisborne-Napier services with DH84 aircraft in 1935 and, later, extended its services to Palmerston North. (In 1938 East Coast Airways were amalgamated with Union Airways.) Cook Strait Airways, of Wellington, began in 1935 to provide successful services with DH Rapide aircraft between Wellington, Blenheim, and Nelson, later extending to the west coast of the South Island to link up with Air Travel of New Zealand.

The major company of the 1930s was Union Airways of New Zealand Ltd., which on 5 January 1936 opened services between Palmerston North and Dunedin via Blenheim and Christchurch. In June 1937 a twice-daily service, Auckland-Wellington, was added. By 1939 the company was maintaining services on the routes Auckland–New Plymouth–Palmerston North–Wellington–Christchurch–Dunedin, Palmers-ton North–Blenheim–Christchurch, Palmerston North–Napier–Gisborne, and Auckland–Tauranga–Opotiki–Gisborne. At the outbreak of war in 1939 there was already a considerable network of regular air services within New Zealand. In addition there was widespread charter and air-taxi activity.

Regular air services across the Tasman did not begin before the Second World War, in spite of a number of gallant pioneer flights. The first successful crossing of the Tasman, from Sydney to Christchurch by Kingsford Smith and crew on 11 September 1928, took 14 hours 25 minutes, the return journey taking 22 hours 51 minutes.

As early as 1935 Union Airways and the Union Steam Ship Company negotiated with the executives of Imperial Airways, London, to form a company to fly passengers across the Tasman. The outcome of these negotiations was the formation on 26 April 1940 of Tasman Empire Airways Ltd. (TEAL), which was jointly owned by Union Airways, Imperial Airways, Qantas Empire Airways, and the New Zealand Government.

Between 1935 and 1940, however, the interested parties had investigated the problems involved in crossing the Tasman and had cut the flying time. By 1937 Captain J. W. Burgess had flown the Tasman in an Empire flying boat, the Centaurus, reducing the crossing time to 9 hours 15 minutes, and in the following year Clouston and Ricketts achieved a time of 7 hours 10 minutes in a DH 88. In 1937, also, a Pan-American Clipper (Captain Edwin Musick) had planned an inaugural flight from the United States to New Zealand. Unfortunately, however, the PAA flying boat crashed between Pago Pago and New Zealand, which caused further services to be postponed until July 1940.

New Zealand is an air-minded country. In the early years of the century its aviation pioneers and inventors kept abreast of advances in the rest of the world, and the subsequent development of the industry has been such that in recent years New Zealanders rank among the greatest users of air transport.

At some time between 1900 and 1904 Richard William Pearse, of the Waitohi Valley, near Timaru, designed and built a high-wing monoplane of unusual and advanced design, constructed of steel and bamboo, with aileron and elevator controls. Pearse made a number of short flights at a very early date, but it is not certain that he flew any distance before 31 March 1904. The first recognised flight by a heavier-than-air machine was that by the Wright Brothers at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, on 17 December 1903. New Zealand thus very nearly produced the first successful aeroplane in the world. The Pearse machine was ahead of the Wrights' in the use of ailerons, or movable flaps on the wings to control the aircraft, which Pearse invented and patented (patent No. 21476, gazetted 8 August 1907), whilst the Wright brothers used a system of warping the wings. Ailerons are now universal. There were other important New Zealand pioneers. Bertram Ogilvie, of Napier, had built, by 1909, a triplane fitted with ailerons, and he subsequently made a number of flights in England in a machine built by Handley Page to his design. Other early experimenters included A. W. Schaef, of Wellington, Pither, of Invercargill, Fisher, of Tauherenikau, and the brothers Hector and Seaforth McKenzie, of Marton. The brothers Leo and Vivian Walsh, of Auckland, constructed a standard Wright bi-plane in 1910, and by 1915 completed a flying boat to their own design with which they carried out passenger flights over Auckland Harbour. In October 1915 the Walsh brothers opened the New Zealand Flying School at Kohimarama, Auckland, which provided training for many pilots who flew in the RFC and RNAS in the First World War. During the war years the Canterbury Aviation Co. was also formed and provided flying training; this company was taken over by the Government in 1923 and formed the nucleus of the New Zealand Air Force .

The war had stimulated aeronautical development, and New Zealand, like other nations, slowly recognised the possibilities of aviation as a means of transport in peacetime, and its inherent dangers. Accordingly, an Act to control civil aviation in the Dominion became law on 1 March 1919 and provided for the regulation of flying activities, the licensing of flying schools and personnel, the registration of aircraft, and other matters. In 1920 an Air Board was established to consider and recommend upon all aviation activities and proposals in New Zealand (both civil and military) and to study aviation activities throughout the world. The post of Director of Air Services was established in 1925, and that of Controller of Civil Aviation in 1931. In 1937 the control of the Royal New Zealand Air Force and of civil aviation was removed from the Defence Department by the establishment, under the Air Department Act, of the Air Department. In 1964 a Department of Civil Aviation was established under the Civil Aviation Act.

The aero club movement, which began effectively in the late 1920s, played. an important part in the development of airmindedness and in the creation of organisations able to provide essential aviation services. By the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939, 14 major clubs existed, together with subsidiary organisations. Their national value was recognised by Government subsidies for pilot training, by the free issue of training aircraft, and by grants for the purchase of training machines. In June 1930 the New Zealand Aero Club (later entitled “Royal”) was formed to coordinate the activities of the clubs.

To many people a show suggests “all the fun of the fair”; and at all the shows there is entertainment of infinite variety; but there are other things equally fascinating–the educational exhibits of the Agriculture and other State Departments, the trade displays of private firms, and the latest models of machinery. About 100 or more centres give country people at least once a year the chance to display their products (live and dead) to townsfolk, and in return give a chance to townspeople to satisfy their interest in the essential job of farming. This is important, for the visitor to one of our metropolitan shows may see, among other interesting things, a cross section of the New Zealand people.

by Leonard John Wild, C.B.E., M.A., B.SC.(HON.), D.SC., formerly Pro-Chancellor of the University of New Zealand, Otaki.