The pretendors

The clammer for unearned credit - blog published only 

We have now been experiencing the benefits of aviation competition in Hawke's Bay for nearly two months and although it’s early days it seems there has been a leap in the number of people travelling by air as well as a significant reduction in airfares.  Jetstar have alrady added 150 additional seats a day each way between Napier and Auckland (from February this will increase by a further further 50 seats each way.) More Air New Zealand “grab a seat” deals are appearing on my phone than ever before and for travel only days, not months away.   

For over 10 years I campaigned for competition. For all this time these efforts were frustrated and blunted by the Mayor of Hastings and former Mayor of Napier Barbara Arnott. All sorts of other so called Hawke’s Bay leaders have been conspicuous for their lack of support rather than action. Now however that Jetstar has arrived these very same people are trying to claim they have also been trying to get competition for years. Of course in the public domain there are records that suggest otherwise. For instance Napier’s new Mayor Bill Dalton  famously said:

- to Hawke’s Bay Today June 19th 2013, “ Air New Zealand were not price gouging on Hawke’s Bay services”. 

- and to Radio New Zealand Sept 5 2014   “Jetstar could damage Hawke’s Bay” 

Flying to Auckland a few of weeks ago I discovered a statement from Bill Dalton in the Jetstar inflight magazine claiming “We have been trying to get competition into the Hawke’s Bay skies for years.  it’s going to make Napier a much more affordable place to visit.”  

This is a graphic demonstration of just how disingenuous these people can be. I always felt Mrs Arnott was especially determined to achieve nothing and wondered if she was trying to mollify the Clarke/ Cullen government who were clearly opposed to the runway extension, at a time when the Napier Council were trying to obtain significant Government funding for the museum extension. Around this time  Hastings Mayor Lawrence Yule was also seeking government contributions first for the Opera House upgrade, then subsequently the velodrome project. Perhaps he was also compromised by his role as president of Local Government New Zealand

Hastings Mayor Lawrence Yule is another trying to gain undeserved credit for himself. Following the launch of the new Jetstar service he was reported as being a long time proponent of getting competition into the regions airways (HBT 2 Dec 2015 )  and claimed “As a region we have worked for this for four years”  adding “so many people had worked hard with undaunted determination to get another regional airline into Hawke’s Bay”. In my view he clearly was not talking about himself. He also clearly did his best to make sure I was not involved in any official effort. 

Of course eventually luck was on our side. As a result of the mining slowdown in Australia and the reduction in fly- in/ fly-out  workers five Q300 aircraft became surplus to QANTAS/Jetstar requirements allowing them to be transferred to New Zealand. 

Others who seem to have forgotten how disengaged they previously were includes Chamber of Commerce head Wayne Walford. There is no evidence of Chamber involvement in getting improved air services since the departure of Murray Douglas some years ago. Tourism Hawkes’s Bay Annie Dundas is another conspicuously absent from the ranks of those calling for better air services. She has certainly been much more conspicuous since Jetstar executives first arrived back in August 2015. Perhaps its worth  mentioning it had been a priority when I was an elected board member of the privately funded  Wine Country Tourism Association prior to her arrival some five years ago.Of course  Air New Zealand had covered their base’s by having their General Manager of Online and Leisure Dave Simmonds appointed to the Tourism Hawke's Bay board.

I have always been critical of our MP’s for their lack of meaningful support. Certainly Rick Barker did nothing to help, however I have come to accept it was only after Chris Tremain and Craig Foss became our MP’s, and National the Government that the insurmountable impediments dissolved away.   

The thing to remember is whilst all these individuals try to get a share of the credit for Jetstar’s arrival the fact is that once Jetstar had decided to move into  provincial New Zealand, they were effectively committed to coming to Hawke’s Bay. Our airport was already in the top four busiest provincial airports in the country, and additionally the Auckland Hawke’s Bay route carryied more passengers than any other provincial connection. It was a no brainer.

In the event either Jetstar or Air New Zealand decide on a further upgrade of air services we at least now have a runway suitable for domestic jet services if not trans-Tasman.