Hawke's Bay Airport achieves first step towards carbon neutral status

Hawke's Bay Airport chief executive Stuart Ainslie said the airport has completed the mapping stage of the Airports Council International (ACI) Airport Carbon Accreditation programme and is well underway to becoming New Zealand's first carbon neutral airport.

"We are very pleased to gain Level 1 as we work towards realising our aspiration to be New Zealand's most sustainable and innovative airport," Mr Ainslie said.

With the mapping stage now complete, the focus moves to reduction and optimisation. Since it began tracking its emissions the airport has already seen a noticeable improvement due largely to design improvements delivered by the redeveloped terminal.

"Although it's early days, the new building is already delivering some impressive results in terms of energy efficiency. In January our electricity usage was down significantly on the year prior, due largely to LED lighting and efficient cooling systems being operational in the new arrivals and departures halls. We expect this trend to continue beyond completion of the project at the end of the year," Mr Ainslie said.

The airport will be moving to a carbon neutral certified energy supplier and is currently undertaking due diligence on a large scale renewable energy solar farm onsite, which Mr Ainslie said will greatly contribute towards carbon neutral status. There are also plans to incorporate carparks for EV's and charging provision and parking for E bikes.

The Airport Board has committed to an ambitious Sustainability Framework which is underpinned by the four key pillars of financial return, environmental excellence, social responsibility and operation efficiency, he adds.

"Our aim is to be New Zealand's most sustainable airport and our framework is at the forefront of us achieving this. It anchors our medium and long term strategic imperatives and provides the foundations to our updated masterplan that will be released for public comment over the coming months. Sustainability will be at the heart of everything we do."