The Chatham Islands have a new front door, and from today travellers can reach it on a single ticket booked through Air New Zealand.
Associate Regional Development Minister Mark Patterson opened the new passenger terminal at the Inia William Tuuta Memorial Airport on 12 August, closing out a five-year rebuild that the airport company puts at about $50 million. Chatham Islands Airport Limited says the work, known as the Longer and Stronger project, has secured the islands’ air link for the next 30 to 50 years.
For a community of roughly 600 people sitting some 800 kilometres east of the South Island, that link is not a convenience. It is the way patients get to hospital, the way crayfish and blue cod reach the mainland, and the way most visitors arrive.
The rebuild started in 2021. The first stage lengthened the runway by 490 metres, upgraded taxiways and drainage, doubled the size of the apron and extended the solar-powered aerodrome lighting. Getting that done on an island with no quarry supply chain, no asphalt plant and a shipping schedule measured in weeks was the hard part.
“The logistics were exceptional. Approximately 70,000m³ of aggregate was extracted, processed and transported; more than 33,000 tonnes of asphalt were manufactured on site; and around 2,000 tonnes of specialist polymer-modified bitumen was shipped to the island,” Chatham Islands Airport Limited chair and chief executive Allan MacGibbon said in a statement released by the company.
The runway work was named Small Airport Infrastructure Project of the Year at the 2023 New Zealand Airports Awards, where the airport itself was also named Small Airport of the Year. In October 2024 a Texel Air Boeing 737 freighter became the first jet to land on the islands, a moment the airport company had spent years building towards.
The second stage was the terminal. Rather than start again, the builders repurposed and restructured the original 1982 building, added a secure departure lounge, upgraded the arrivals and check-in areas and improved the security systems. Hokotehi Moriori Trust and Ngāti Mutunga o Wharekauri Iwi Trust provided cultural guidance so the building reflects the history of the islands, known to Moriori as Rēkohu, meaning misty sun.
The airport now has a 1,850 metre runway, which the company says puts it alongside many of New Zealand’s larger regional airports for capability, with more room for freight, emergency flights and future aircraft types.
“Delivering a Code 4C-capable airfield in one of New Zealand’s most remote environments is an extraordinary achievement. It shows what’s possible when national investment and local determination come together,” Chatham Islands Enterprise Trust chairperson Hamish Chisholm said.
Chatham Islands Mayor Greg Horler called the airport the islands’ lifeline. “These upgrades ensure the Chatham Islands can stay connected and resilient for generations. On behalf of the Chatham Islands Council, I congratulate the Enterprise Trust and its airport company for this wonderful addition to our community,” he said.
The terminal is the visible half of the week’s news. The half that changes how people actually book a trip started today.
Air New Zealand and Air Chathams have expanded their interline agreement, and from 13 August customers can book Auckland to the Chatham Islands, Wellington to the Chatham Islands, Christchurch to the Chatham Islands and Auckland to Whanganui as connecting journeys on one booking through Air New Zealand and participating travel agents. Auckland to Whakatāne was already covered. Bags are checked through to the final destination on eligible connections.
Until now, anyone flying to the Chathams from outside the three main departure points had to buy two separate tickets, collect their bags in between and wear the cost themselves if the first leg ran late. That is the problem interlining is meant to solve.
“For the Chatham Islands, this is an especially significant milestone. For the first time, customers will be able to book a single ticket connecting them with destinations across New Zealand,” Air Chathams chief executive Duane Emeny said. He said it simplified travel for residents and opened up opportunities for local businesses and tourism.
Air New Zealand chief executive Nikhil Ravishankar said the arrangement showed what was possible when New Zealand airlines worked together. “Seamless connections into our network make a real difference. By working together, we’re making it easier for customers to travel, supporting regional economies, and demonstrating what’s possible when Kiwi airlines collaborate,” he said.
Horler said tourism mattered to the island economy. “Better connectivity helps us welcome more New Zealanders and other visitors to the islands,” he said. Whanganui Mayor Andrew Tripe, whose city picks up the same benefit on the Auckland route, said it gave people a simpler way to travel and connect with the rest of the country on one booking.
Associate Transport Minister James Meager described the partnership as industry working together to strengthen regional connectivity and support the long-term resilience of the aviation network.
The Government also used the week to announce more money for the islands. Regional Development Minister Shane Jones said the Regional Infrastructure Fund would put $9.4 million into wharves, $5.6 million into fuel storage and distribution, and $465,000 towards the airline interlining work.
“The wharf programme will deliver a full replacement of Kaingaroa Wharf, repairs to Owenga and Flower Pot wharves and the Pitt Island barge ramp, improve lighting at Waitangi Wharf, and expand livestock infrastructure to improve freight handling and support marine operations,” Jones said in the funding announcement. He said the islands’ geographic isolation made reliable connections with the mainland important for economic sustainability, education, healthcare, tourism and business.
Patterson said the interlining money would make it easier for travellers to reach the Chathams while connecting with destinations throughout New Zealand from one website.
The Government says it has invested more than $45 million in the airport since 2018, drawing on the Provincial Growth Fund and the COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund, and more than $150 million in the Chatham Islands overall since 2015. For a territory with fewer residents than a decent-sized secondary school, those are large numbers, and they reflect how expensive it is to keep a remote community supplied when everything arrives by sea or air.
Have you been to the Chatham Islands, or has the two ticket problem put you off? Tell us in the comments below.
This article was written by AI, briefed to report the facts, hopefully without some of the bias people bring to the job 🙂
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