New Zealand News

Announcing the appointment, Air New Zealand’s chairman, Mr Bob Matthew, said; “Jim McCrea has been chosen to lead Air New Zealand through the current phase of improvement in the company’s competitive position and ultimately the expansion of the business to capitalise on the potential for strong growth of inbound tourism in the 19 90s. ”

Mr McCrea, who was educated in Vancouver and Auckland, early in his career held supervisory and management positions in Air New Zealand’s engineering department. Following the merger of the National Airways Corporation and Air New Zealand in 1978, he was appointed deputy chief engineer, Christchurch base. He was chief engineer a year later. Nine years ago he became assistant general manager, airline operations.

Later he was general manager, airline operations and personnel. Two years ago he was appointed deputy chief executive airline operations. Last January, when separate accountable business units were formed, Mr McCrea was appointed deputy chief executive and chief executive of the international airline.

Mr McCrea, who has four adult children, enjoys sailing, skiing and running.

Qantas to Take Over Air New Zealand?

An Auckland analyst believes that “ultimately Qantas (which currently owns 1 9. 9% of Air New Zealand) wanted take the airline over or to merge” and was waiting for the regulatory framework to change so it could do so, accordingly to the “New Zealand Herald. ”

It is also reported that the Commerce Commission here is taking action in the High Court against Qantas to prevent its buying American Airlines’ 7. 5% (which will become 5% after the cash issue) stake in Air New Zealand on the grounds that any holding it takes in excess of what it already owns would have a detrimental effect on competition.

Meanwhile, Air New Zealand has attained near full participation in its $NZ140 million share issue, with Brierley Investments raising its stake to 37. 5%.

The airline says that 98. 08% of rights in the one-for-two issue had been exercised. These accounted for 137,316,420 shares, to be issued each.

Proceeds of the issue are expected to be used to buy new aircraft and possibly a stake in Qantas and Australian Airlines. (In the August issue of AA I incorrectly reported that Air New Zealand had issued its annual repor t -it was in fact the airline’s second interim report. The annual report is due soon says Richard Gates, Air New Zealand’s director of public relations. )

Rnzaf’s Operational Capability Slashed

The Royal New Zealand Air Force decided to close its Wigram airbase in Christchurch in spite of a defence management review in 1988 which suggested that Whenuapai (Auckland) was the base to go.

The Chief of Air Staff, Vice Marshal Peter Adamson, said; “We wanted to preserve operational capability so it was either Wigram (where pilot training is carried out) or Woodbourne (where ground crew training takes place).

Woodbourne, nearly 300km north of Wigram, won because it is also a major engineering centre for the air force with an engine test chamber and other expensive maintenance engineering machinery. An in-depth feature on the Defence Review was given on p. 92/ 93 of our Sept issue. The RNZAF and the Royal Australian Air Force are presently discussing ways to combine pilot training, possibly using the RNZAF’s MB-33 9 training aircraft in Australia.

Wigram is the centre of initial training. Pilots then move to Ohakea, in the lower North Island, for advanced training on Strikemasters, which are gradually being replaced by Aermacchis.

After the Quigley Defence Management Review in 1988 recommended to the Government that Whenuapai and nearby Hobsonville be sold, the RNZAF said such a move would mean that maritime search and rescue aircraft would be based further away from the north of New Zealand. Transport aircraft would also be more distant from disaster relief tasks arising in the Pacific.

The Budget (July 30) news that all flying training at Wigram is to cease – in some cases only months away-must have stunned Christchurch (population 325,000). It took nearly a month for Christchurch City Council to come out fighting against the Government announcement. Christchurch’s mayor Vicki Buck stated that the decision to cut air force operations was unjustified.

The council has written to government expressing concern at the proposed cessation of flying training at Wigram, the proposed removal of Iroquois helicopters and the proposed relocation of Wigram’s facilities except for the ground training schools.

Asked about the city council’s decision to try to prevent the closure of Wigram, the base commander, Group Captain Gordon Wood, expressed doubt about the local authority succeeding. He understands a study of joint Australian/New Zealand training for pilots and navigators is expected to be completed soon. Group Captain Wood said Wigram personnel did not know where flight training would be based after Wigram closed, which was expected to be within two years. When the air base closed, mercy flights and aerial fire fighting would become a local community cost. About 12 air-medical evacuations yearly are carried out by RNZAF F27s based at Wigram. Mercy flights were carried out free of charge if life was threatened, he said.

New Airline Spans Tasman

Southern World Airlines’ first flight from Christchurch has taken 220 South Island alpacas to Melbourne.

The airline, established in Auckland early this year, offers a freight char ter service to any destination Southern World Airlines owns two stretched DC-8s and leases another. Prospects for growth in the wholly New Zealand owned airline were good, says general manager Pat Houlihan.

Airways Corporation and Mr Soar

The NZ Minister of State Owned Enterprises, Mr Doug Kidd, has described allegations of corruption and mismanagement made against the Airways Corporation as “totally unsubstantiated and apparently based on unattributed hearsay. ”

The allegations were reported in the media from submissions made to a Select Committee by Mr Robin Soar. Mr Soar also claimed that the international reputation of New Zealand aviation and the Corporation in particular was “deteriorating” and that the Corporation was “not acting in the best interests of New Zealand and New Zealand aviation. ”

(The September edition of AA carried a repor t of some of Mr Soar’s comments. Mr Soar, an Auckland aviation consultant, represented companies which missed out on a tender offered by the corporation. )

Mr Kidd said the Airways Corporation “and its people are an asset of which most New Zealanders are justly proud. “Unjustified and unsubstantiated accusations such as those made by Mr Soar cannot be allowed to go unchallenged.

“Insofar as his accusations might be seen to be damaging to the Corporation’s commercial objectives and to the confidence of the New Zealand public in the performance of one of our most successful State-owned enterprises, I wish to state that I have complete confidence in the board and management of the Airways Corporation. ”

Far from a “deteriorating reputation, international admiration for the principles and practice of Airways Corporation continued to grow,” claimed Mr Kidd.

Police Minister’s Civil Conviction

Police minister John Banks who used a mobile telephone while on an Ansett New Zealand flight, has been fined$NZ750 plus costs totalling$NZ140. (Refer p . 91Sept 91 AA. )

He had pleaded guilty to the charge, which carries a maximum penalty of six months jail or a$1,000 fine.

Standing in the dock at the Wellington District Court with Mr Banks was his senior police adviser, Inspector Emmett Sharkey. He received the same penalty after pleading guilty to breaching section 31 (b) of the civil aviation regulations of 1 953.

During the court case, people heard the unmistakable ringing of a cellular telephone. It came from the pocket of a member of the diplomatic protection squad, who had escorted Mr Banks to court. The squad member hurried from the courtroom.

The Police Minister and the Police Inspector paid their fines out of their own pockets.

Briefs

• Ansett New Zealand is providing seats at half price to the parents and siblings of children undergoing cancer treatment at Wellington hospital. The discounts were announced at a mayoral reception at Ronald McDonald House which provides accommodation for the parents and immediate family visiting child cancer patients.

• Air New Zealand has launched a weekly 767 service between Auckland and the Taiwanese capital of Taipei. In the year to September 19 90, 15,000 Taiwanese visited NZ.

• Twenty years after Mount Cook Airlines imported a ten seat American built Grumman Goose into New Zealand, the 4 9 year old aircraft is again flying over the lakes of North America. In recent years the Goose, DFC, operated between Auckland and nearby islands. The Goose, the last of its breed in New Zealand, had high maintenance costs and overheads eventually lost the fare battle with ferry service operators.