Heard gunfire in Strathmore Park/Kilbirnie Thursday night near midnight??

Jeff from Strathmore Park

Last night in Strathmore Park you may have heard a volley of shotgun blasts at 11:30 pm. It woke me up and scared the $#!+ out of me.

I initially thought there was a firearms incident just down the road from me...we have had gang tension here previously, including firearms.

Did you hear this? Did it freak you out too?

I was pretty sure it sounded like shooting, but after a while thought it might well be bird scaring by Wellington Airport. I lodged an enquiry, and it turns out that they were in fact using a shotgun to scare birds near midnight.

Now, I know that birds are a hazard, but you've got to wonder about what else Wellington Airport might have done to handle this; ranging from employing other tactics, to proactively making it known around communities that occasionally they might need to resort to this.

I will be asking the Airport and WCC to investigate this. But this raises a question I asked at the Airport Expansion hearings that never got addressed: implications of a of combination of Pest Free Miramar and buffer plantings on airstrike and ground-strike risk?

How will the airport keep increased volumes of birds off much more taxiway. Will the risk increase as both the number of flights increases and the number of birds thanks to a successful Pest Free Miramar programme? Have they actively considered this? They didn't answer.

Currently WIAL use a combination of fireworks (or gunshots) and a vehicle cruising up and down the runway and presumably surrounds with sirens blaring to scare birds away. Can we expect either of these activities to move closer to residents if the East Side expansion proceeds? At night too?

The Airport's Kaitiakitanga values under the “Our Community” heading in their 2040 Masterplan lists goals that include “Be a good neighbour” and “Build meaningful community partnerships”.

But frankly they suck at both. The gangs we have up here are better neighbors at times.

This follows closely on the heels of a noise complaint I raised about prolonged engine testing late at night. WCC dismissed it because "unscheduled" engine testing is allowed. I asked the Airport "Couldn't they have knocked off before dark, and started again the next day"?
I also asked some basic questions like "So when did that plane finally leave? And did they fill out the engine test forms required by your noise management plan? Can you furnish them?"

The Airport refuse to answer. They say this noise isn't their responsibility anyhow. If they already have the answers - and if those answers don't reflect badly on the Airport - then why not simply live those Kaitiakitanga values to be a good neighbour” and “Build meaningful community partnerships”? I tell you what - I certainly am a good neighbour to the Airport. When the airport was fogged in for days on end few years back, I went down there and brought back tired stranded travelers for hot meals, showers, and a comfy bed.

I respect their business. But of late they show little respect for the community in return. Heck he Airport didn't even come into this community to talk about the massive expansion right to the doorstep of this community under their Masterplan 2040, despite me asking them to. (Instead they ran two "open day" events at the airport, on the same day, advertised only on the Airports own website. Which we all study every day, of course)

Their social license is out of date. They need to live those Kaitiakitanga values; or stop quoting them.

Want to join an org who's purpose is to represent the Community and hold the Airport to account when they cross the line?

Join the Guardians of the Bays; help give the Community voice. guardiansofthebays.org.nz...