Airports ‘need improving'

Press, 7 September 1984, Page 5

Airports ‘need improving'

Facilities at New Zealand’s international airports must be improved to keep pace with the increase in tourist traffic, says the Minister of Customs, Mrs Shields. Mrs Shields, who visited Christchurch yesterday, said that there had already been an increase in the number of tourists visiting New Zealand and the figures would go even higher. One of her aims as Minister of Customs was to make sure the international airports had the staff and facilities to cope.

“Tourism is good for the country and we have to make sure that the visitors here have a good trip,” she said.

That meant keeping delays for incoming international passengers to a minimum. Mrs Shields visited Christchurch Airport to meet staff and to see facilities. She watched as passengers from a flight from Sydney went through customs.

She has made similar visits to the airports at Wellington and Auckland.

The facilities at Christchurch were very much better than those at Auckland Airport, where there were many more international flights which arrived close together, she said. Most of the problems at Christchurch arose because the terminal building was

not being used as it was designed to be used. The international arrivals area was supposed to have been on the first floor, but had been put on the ground floor in an area designed for international departures. This was because the upstairs could not be used until air bridges were built.

Staff levels in customs at Christchurch airport were adequate, in spite of an increasing work load, she said.

Staff numbers would have to be increased in the future, but she hoped this could be done by diverting resources from others areas, rather than increasing Government spending. Mrs Shields, who is the

Minister of Consumer Affairs and once worked for the Consumers Institute, also visited the institute’s, laboratory in Christchurch. She said that the Labour Government planned to set up a new department to deal with consumer protection. A unit would be set up within the Trade and Industry Department to oversee the formation of the new department. The department, which would be “lean and hungry,” would reform consumer legislation and initiate new legislation where needed. It would also deal with consumer rights and education and would be designed not to compete with existing consumer organisations.