Nelson Airport has been planning to extend the runway for many years. At 1347m, the runway is among the shortest in the world for the type of aircraft that operate here. That leads to weight restrictions limiting the number of passengers/freight that airlines can carry. 

Internationally and within NZ, significant effort is being put into developing sustainably powered aircraft which are likely to be larger and heavier than current aircraft types, requiring a longer runway. An extended runway at Nelson Airport will:  

• Remove weight restrictions for current aircraft 

• Ensure sufficient length for future aircraft types, including sustainably powered aircraft

If we cannot upgrade our infrastructure to meet the operational needs of airlines in the future, the travel choices of Nelsonians will be restricted. This would also impact on our economy and our region’s resilience.

We are planning now so we’re ready to provide the infrastructure required by next-generation aircraft. The nature of airport infrastructure and the capital investment required for its development means we need to plan well ahead. We expect the extended runway will be needed within the next 10 to 15 years. Having the planning approvals in place to enable a runway extension is an important step in ensuring we can build the infrastructure our region needs.  

It's also important the airport provides clarity and certainty about its future for its neighbours, passengers, operators, and the wider Nelson-Tasman community. Including the approvals in the Nelson Resource Management Plan now helps to provide that certainty around what will be delivered in future. 

The proposed changes are not being sought to cater for jets. The extension is primarily to enable future low-emission aircraft, cater fully for existing aircraft and to further improve safety for passengers and crew travelling to and from Nelson.

Nelson Airport would have to go through a further consultation and formal planning process should it seek to allow for commercial jets in the future.

The changes we’re seeking won’t change the hours that flights can occur.

A public drop-in and feedback session was held in 2022 before the planning application was lodged, along with mail drops to every affected property (those within both current and future airport noise contours). The airport requested that Nelson City Council publicly notify the notice of requirement for the extended runway and the accompanying plan change to ensure the community could provide feedback, and carried out another mail-drop along with extensive advertising of the public consultation process. The submission process took place in 2023. Hundreds of public submissions were heard and considered by a panel of independent commissioners in May 2024.  

Yes. Feel free to get in touch with us by emailing enquiries@nelsonairport.co.nz or through the online contact form at the bottom of this page.

Noise contours define the level of noise expected to be generated by aircraft operations in areas surrounding the airport. The contours define limits on how much noise the airport is allowed to generate in these areas. They also place controls on new “noise-sensitive” activities, such as residential development, in areas most affected by airport noise.  

Noise contours are important to allow planners, homeowners and developers to identify suitable areas for housing, recreational and other land uses, while also protecting future airport needs from reverse sensitivity (a planning term describing complaints generated by newer activities about an existing operation). 

The existing contours were based on a different fleet of aircraft and level of activity than exists today. Updated contours will more accurately reflect the expected future level of noise generated by the airport out to 2050, as well as provide for the impacts of an extended runway.  

There will be no immediate changes in the noise generated at the airport, and most of the forecast future noise is the result of there being more flights to and from Nelson – not from extending the runway. Any increase in noise will be gradual over time as additional services are added to meet our region’s changing needs. The planning changes ensure we adequately plan for and mitigate this future noise. 

We’ll provide a best practice, fully-funded noise mitigation package (such as mechanical ventilation and acoustic insulation) for eligible homes to help minimise the impact of noise. 

We’ll undertake annual assessments of activity and noise levels to understand the impacts on our neighbours. If airport noise reaches  60 decibels on average at a nearby property, the airport will fully fund mitigation. The airport is also required to monitor and manage noise in order to reduce the impact on surrounding communities as far as practicable. 

When our proposed changes come into effect, we will carry out annual assessments to determine the aircraft noise generated over the previous 12 months and will provide a report to the Council on compliance with our noise contours. We will also continue to commission an independent audit every five years to test that we’re complying with noise provisions. 

We’re not proposing any changes to the noise limits for engine testing. Nelson Airport remains committed to responsibly controlling aircraft noise levels and activities at the airport within the current limits. 

The airport has looked closely at whether a southern extension would be feasible, including commissioning geotechnical, archaeology heritage, landscape and ecological reports. Extending to the south would require reclaiming seabed and would cause significant negative environmental effects, including on ecological values. It is highly unlikely to be consentable (ie. very unlikely to get approved). Even if it were, the engineering requirements for a southern extension would be extremely challenging. On balance, a northern extension is the only feasible option. 

RESA stands for Runway End Safety Area. This is an obstacle-free safety area at each end of the runway which provides aircraft a buffer zone for emergency incidents. Civil Aviation rules require an airport to provide RESA when a runway that services aircraft with more than 30 seats is extended by more than 15m. 

EMAS (Engineered Material Arresting System) is a system of crushable cellular cement blocks placed at the end of a runway to help stop an aircraft if it overshoots the runway.  EMAS is sometimes used in lieu of Runway End Safety Areas (RESA) where land is not available for a RESA of standard dimensions.    

When an aircraft overshoots a runway and comes into contact with the EMAS, the wheels and undercarriage of the aircraft sink into the lightweight material and crush the cement blocks, decelerating the aircraft and helping it come to a stop. 

Providing standard length RESA at each end of a runway is considered best practice and will reduce the risk of damage to aircraft in undershoot or overshoot incidents by providing additional space at the ends of the runway.  

EMAS has been used at airports internationally and in NZ where the airport’s geography makes it impracticable to provide a full-length RESA. It's not in widespread use because international aviation regulators favour full-length RESA being provided wherever practicable.   

While we haven’t ruled EMAS out, we believe it’s only responsible that we protect an ability to provide best-practice, fully-compliant RESA through the planning process. 

There are no restrictions or requirements on existing activities, such as your home.  

If you want to build extra bedrooms or living rooms, you will have to include acoustic insulation and ventilation. You will also need resource consent if you want to build a new home or if you propose to add any new dwellings in the residential zone at a density of more than one house per 600m2. Depending on where your home’s located, your property may already be subject to some of these controls under the existing Nelson Resource Management Plan rules. 

There are no restrictions or requirements on existing activities, such as your home.  

New dwellings in this contour will be prohibited, although you can replace your existing house (such as in the event of a fire). If you want to build extra bedrooms or living rooms  for your existing house you will have to include acoustic insulation and ventilation. Depending on where your home is located, your property may already be subject to these controls under the existing Nelson Resource Management Plan rules. 

We are proposing to extend the runway to the north, which requires the use of some land owned by the Nelson Golf Club. We’ve been engaging with the club about our future runway plans and conversations are ongoing. This proposal won’t affect the club’s ability to operate until such time as a decision is made to commence construction to physically extend the runway onto the land currently owned by the club – and we believe that is still 10 – 15 years in the future. 

Our proposal doesn’t result in any changes to what is currently permitted in the rules applying to sites under the Nelson Resource Management Plan. When the runway is extended in the future, the airport will carry out a survey of any existing obstacles in surrounding areas that may be too high for operations on the new runway. 

When the runway is extended in future, the airport will carry out a survey of any obstacles in surrounding areas that might be too high for operations on the new runway. It’s possible that some trees might be too high and need to be trimmed or removed. 

No, as the runway is proposed to be extended to the north. 

We’re focused on making Nelson Airport as resilient as possible to the effects of all natural events, including climate change, through masterplanning that takes a 30-year view, coastal protection works and an ongoing programme of stormwater improvements Design of the extended runway will be informed by the latest information and Council guidance around sea level rise. 

The changes to our zoning would allow us to establish green energy production at the airport as a permitted activity, giving us even greater opportunity to contribute to a low-emissions energy future. 

The extension is 10-15 years away and detailed design has not been carried out, so it’s too early in the process to accurately price the project. The work being done right now is to protect the airport’s ability to carry out an extension in future when it is needed by ensuring the land designations and planning framework are in place. A full business case will be developed before any physical works begin to assess the benefits, costs and risks. 

As with previous infrastructure projects at the airport, the runway extension will be funded by the airport’s own funding sources, not by council funding, and won’t have any impact on rates.