Sponsored: Charting a new course
Brendan Cook, CEO of Nelson Airport, is steering the region’s busiest airport toward a future of smarter connectivity, sustainability, and community-driven growth.
Brendan Cook's vision for Nelson Airport
With over a decade of senior leadership experience in the aviation industry, chief executive officer Brendan Cook brings a unique blend of operational expertise and community-focused leadership to New Zealand’s busiest regional airport. His leadership marks a new chapter for the airport aligning its growth with the values and needs of the Nelson Tasman region.
Can you tell us about your career path and what attracted you to the Nelson Airport CEO role?
I started my career as a zookeeper in New South Wales, specialising in threatened species management. That led into research and advising airports on bird strike risk management, which stoked my interest in airports and aviation. I’ve spent the past 15 years working in airports, most recently as general manager of Townsville Airport. This role ,appealed for the adventure and opportunity it offers. It’s a very community-focused airport and a beautiful asset for the region.
What have your first impressions been so far?
I find the airport inspiring; it feels great to work in a space that’s calm, beautiful and offers so much for the region. The team is professional and committed, they know what’s needed to add value and contribute to its success. Nelson Tasman is an exciting place to live, with adventure and an active outdoor lifestyle on the doorstep – I love it!
What are your key priorities for the next 12 months?
Progressing the critical planning and investment required to make sure the airport meets the region's future needs. That includes our $10 million apron reconstruction, future runway extension and Jenkins Creek bridge projects. Sustainability is a nonnegotiable, and we have exciting plans in the works for environmental restoration in the airport precinct, as well supporting our operators and customers to make sustainable choices.
How do you see Nelson Airport’s role evolving in the region's future growth and connectivity?
In 10 years, I want Nelson to be even better connected than it is now. A successful regional airport provides direct connections to the places its community wants to go, so expanding connections across New Zealand is my vision. We also need to be an enabler for the aviation sector’s transition to low-emissions aircraft types, and make sure our infrastructure meets the needs of airlines as they renew their fleets. Project 2-Zero and the runway extension is a key piece of that picture for Nelson.
What are some of the biggest challenges facing regional airports today?
Capacity and connectivity. The hub and spoke model our national carrier operates doesn’t support regional connectivity particularly well. We need new thinking about how airlines can work together to provide a better service to the regions. One of the other challenges I’ve noticed here is the RMA process. Compared to the enabling legislative framework in Australia, the RMA makes development slow, expensive and difficult and doesn’t allow airports with long-term vision to get on with providing key infrastructure.