Rt Hon Helen Clark Prime Minister
Address at Official Welcome to Delegates At the Airports Council International (ACI) World-Pacific Conference and
Exhibition
Aotea Centre Auckland
It is my pleasure to welcome you all to New Zealand, to Auckland, and to the Airports Council International
World-Pacific Conference and Exhibition.
It is an honour for our country to host this huge convention which brings airport industry leaders from around the world
to discuss the issues, challenges, and opportunities common to all.
And it is an honour for Auckland to have you in our metropolis. Auckland International Airport is our major
international hub for travellers and air freight, and it is a pleasure to showcase it to so many industry leaders.
As well, having the convention here is a wonderful opportunity for our airport technology and services companies to
exhibit their wares to this influential audience. I know, that working with New Zealand Trade and Enterprise, they will
make the most of your presence.
Tourism is a cornerstone of the airport industry, and it is a cornerstone of New Zealand’s economy.
Tourism’s direct and indirect value-added contribution to the New Zealand economy is close to ten per cent of our GDP,
and almost ten per cent of our jobs. In the year to March 2004, international tourism earned 18.5 per cent of New
Zealand’s export dollars.
Thus, having a world class airport infrastructure is particularly important to New Zealand. We are an island country,
and 99 per cent of our international visitors arrive here by air.
Ensuring that our visitors’ first experiences of New Zealand are both pleasant and efficient is of considerable
importance to us. Our government has worked closely with our major international airports to keep service standards
high.
In the twenty-first century, the airport industry has many challenges before it. For example, developing effective
strategies to combat the spread of an avian flu pandemic must involve careful liaison with the airport and wider tourism
sectors.
In New Zealand, as elsewhere, government is working on a comprehensive plan for how to manage an outbreak, should one
eventuate.
A key and obvious component of any such strategy is to endeavour to prevent the virus entering our country, by
tightening border management. Government, airports, airlines, and the tourism industry will need to work together to
ensure that harm done in the event of a pandemic is minimised.
In this post 9/11 world, the security threat of terrorism continues to pose challenges for airports, tourism, and
governments alike.
New Zealand is seen as a low risk destination, and that has provided a climate for continuing growth for our tourism
sector.
Nonetheless, we have worked hard to boost our border security to ensure that our arrangements are world class. The
improvements are costly, to the industry and to government, but the cost of not making them would be far greater.
The flow-on effect of high fuel prices, and the ups and downs of the global economy, also create a challenging
environment for the airport sector.
Many airlines now seek to meet cost pressures by introducing even bigger planes, such as the Airbus 380. These huge
planes and the increased numbers of passengers each carry require significant, new investments by our airports.
Mindful of the need for high service standards for travellers, our government is establishing standard processing times
for arriving and departing international air passengers. These new standards, to be fully implemented by 2007/08,
require 90 per cent of arriving passengers to be able to clear Customs processes within 60 minutes during peak times and
45 minutes in off-peak times. For departing passengers, 90 per cent will need to be able to clear Customs and Aviation
Security processes in 25 minutes.
Our Customs agency is also working to develop an automated border processing system, which would use biometric
technologies to allow for more efficient, automated processing of passengers and for border officials to achieve a
higher focus on risk management issues.
An issue in which governments have a direct role is the international system of bilateral air services agreements. New
Zealand has long been a leader in negotiating ‘open skies’ agreements. We have a single aviation market with Australia,
making it one of the most open and competitive markets in the world. We believe the aviation industry worldwide would
benefit from less restrictive rules and regulations.
All of these issues point clearly to the need for good working relationships between airports, governments, and the
broader tourism sector.
This week, these issues and many more will be before your conference. I wish you all a productive meeting, and hope our
many international guests will be able to take time to experience the many delights of our country.
Thank you.