“They own it, there is nothing anyone, nothing any Government can do, nothing any council can do to stop that step from happening.”
A Kāpiti Coast Airport spokesperson told the Herald the current owners have a conditional sale and purchase agreement in place, and they must close the airport before the buyer takes possession.
The airport’s history is turbulent, including its origin when the Government forcibly took the land from Puketapu Hapū.
The land was then sold in 1999 but was not offered back to the original owners contrary to the Public Works Act and in breach of Te Tiriti o Waitangi – later admitted by the Crown in 2022.
The airport’s future has been in doubt since Air New Zealand withdrew flights to and from Auckland in March 2018.
Since 2019, Kāpiti Airport has been owned by property developer NZ PropCo, which showed interest in developing it into a residential area, stating the airport was not sustainable.
In 2025 Puketapu Hapū expressed interest in buying back the airport land, an idea the council has publicly supported since 2020.
Sounds Air is the only airline operating from the airport, offering flights to Blenheim and Nelson, after Air Chathams pulled its services in July 2026.
The airport is also identified in civil defence plans as an important regional hub for emergency response and supply.
National MP for Kāpiti Tim Costley. Photo/ Mark Mitchell
Costley told the Herald although nothing is confirmed about a closure this month, he has “known for a long time” and has begun to prepare for the impact on the community.
The zoning battle following the sale is what worries Costley.
The land is zoned as an airport which limits housing developments, but as the condition of the sale is the closure of the airport, a residential zoning proposal may be on the table for council processes.
Costley said he is prepared to fight “the battle that will be coming”.
“That is the bit that our community can, and I believe will, oppose.”
A Land Information New Zealand (LINZ) spokesperson told the Herald Kāpiti Airport Holdings Limited has engaged LINZ “to begin carrying out LINZ’s responsibilities under section 40 of the Public Works Act 1981 in relation to Kāpiti Airport land”.
If it is determined that land is no longer required for a public work, then it must be offered back to the former owners or their successors.
Any subsequent proposal to change the land from its existing airport zoning to residential would need to go through the applicable statutory planning process involving Kāpiti Coast District Council.
Costley told Mills he is encouraged by the support from “all but one or two councillors” on Kāpiti Council, although he worries about the sway of the potential of the vacant land once the airport closes.
“The developers will put pressure on and say ‘look, there’s money in it for you if you, if you have housing you’ll be getting rates’.
“Actually we just need to hold tight as a community. We can win this.”
Costley said there is an offer he’s aware of to buy the land from the owners and continue to run it as an airport to the tune of about $50 million.
“Run it as an airport and everyone will be happy and the current owners have already made plenty of money off it, they could just take that and run.”
There is a local petition on Costley’s social media channels to oppose zoning changes for the land.
“We are going to stay strong,” said Costley.
Grace Symmans is a Wellington-based reporter who covers news in the capital. Grace joined NZME in 2025 as a producer for Wellington Mornings on Newstalk ZB. She can be emailed at grace.symmans@nzme.co.nz.