Hangars, maintenance, training and a concierge front door, set at the foot of the Southern Alps.
A general-aviation centre of excellence at GA scale: no jets, no airspace change, no second Queenstown. It's what the Upper Clutha asked for in the Wānaka Airport Future Review, and it's privately built on long ground leases.
Based or visiting, piston or turbine, fixed-wing or rotary: tell us when you're coming and we'll arrange the rest.
Marshalling, tie-downs and apron coordination.
Avgas 100LL and Jet A1 arranged with on-field suppliers.
Overnight, seasonal or long-term, booked across the precinct.
Slots booked with local Part 145 shops.
Transport, lodging and local partners in town.
Weather, terrain and backcountry knowledge from local pilots.
Modern, insulated, serviced hangars: own one on a long ground lease, lease one, or share one. Selected bays are built for civil defence, with back-up power, so the precinct still works for the Upper Clutha when the valley is cut off.
Long-tenure ground lease, privately built.
Single and multi-aircraft bays.
Shared space for clubs and syndicates.
Multi-use and emergency-ready (86% local support).
Part 145 line and base maintenance for piston, turboprop and helicopter GA, plus avionics, heritage and warbird restoration, and a regional parts pool. We build it with Wānaka's established engineers and give them room to grow.
Inspections, 100-hourlies, unscheduled support.
Installs, upgrades and certification.
Helicopter maintenance and components.
Vintage and warbird craftsmanship, home of Warbirds over Wānaka.
The Wānaka Engineering Academy, delivered with a certified Part 147 training partner. Apprentices from the Upper Clutha learn in the MRO next door. New Zealand is short of more than 300 aviation engineers, and there's no known aeronautical engineering school south of Christchurch.
NZ Certificate in Aeronautical Engineering: pre-employment foundations.
Theory exams plus documented practical experience in Wānaka hangars.
CASA licence via the Trans-Tasman Mutual Recognition Act plus an Australian admin exam.
Documented experience counts toward eligibility (14 CFR 65.77), then the FAA tests. Canada pathway being verified.
Mountain, rescue and backcountry proficiency, taught by Wānaka's established flight schools.
Local jobs first. A pathway for Upper Clutha school leavers.
A test-and-prove ground for electric and new light aircraft (70% local support).
Tititea / Mt Aspiring, the Matukituki and the high country beyond. Wānaka is where backcountry aviation starts: for conservation and search and rescue, for the people who live out there, and for pilots who come to fly mountains properly.
A base for search-and-rescue and emergency response (86% support).
A permanent medical-aviation presence option (78% support).
Supports conservation and research missions, including NASA-style launches.
Home of Warbirds over Wānaka, plus a future-aircraft show (80% support).
"Wānaka's geography, scenery, and open airspace position it favourably to become a centre of excellence for general aviation and training, a concept widely supported during engagement."QLDC report to Full Council · 19 March 2026