Penrhyn seeks airport upgrade to boost tourism

Residents of Penrhyn Island, which has a population of about 200, have long been looking forward to the arrival of yachts as a small contribution to the local economy. However, Penrhyn Island Administrator Puna Vano said the island needed to upgrade its airport so it could contribute more to the tourism economy.

Vano said that so far this year, 13 yachts have called at Penrhyn, staying for a few days before heading to other islands in the Pacific, and they expect to see more yachts calling at Penrhyn before the end of the year.

He said 17 yachts will visit the Northern Islands in 2023, a significant increase from 2022, when only two yachts visited the Northern Islands.

“They love to attend island events, market days or birthdays. Some see it as a cultural event and watch their children participate,” Vano said.

“We get a little bit of revenue here and there. They don’t cost a lot, but they do contribute to our little economy.”

Vano said two yachts docked at their port earlier this month. One yacht was crewed by Canadians living in New Zealand, who were travelling across the west coast of America and the Marquesas Islands before arriving in Penrhyn. The other yacht departed from Samoa and was heading to Tahiti.

He said the yachts all carried proper border passes and were subject to inspection by border officials on the island.

Last year, Penrhyn Municipality Agriculture Manager Ngereteina George was awarded a biosecurity officer designation, which enables him to carry out the duties of a biosecurity officer at ports of entry.

His work included border duties for international yachts and monitoring the transport of plants or goods to and from Rarotonga and Paenua by ship or aircraft.

Vano said that while port development was needed, the island still received cargo via barges, but they would like to see a fully enclosed airport runway and good flight connections.

“As long as the airports are completely sealed and flight connections are smooth, I believe we can improve accommodation conditions and get more revenue from the tourism market. The priority is the airports,” he added.

In the 2024/25 budget passed last month, Parliament approved $13.4 million (total allocation) for Pa Enua (Outer Islands).

According to the budget estimates, 8.6 per cent of the funding was allocated to Penrhyn. It said the allocation of investment between the islands was based on their respective population sizes.

“However, due to the remoteness of the islands, other cost factors unrelated to population size will also affect the funding required for the Northern Islands. These factors include costs associated with air and sea transport to the islands, and boat services for inter-island travel.”

Last month, during a parliamentary debate on the principles and merits of the 2024/25 Appropriation Bill, Penryn (Tongareva) MP Sarakura Tapaitau said their budget had only increased slightly.

Tapaitao requested government assistance in its plan to open a mission next year.

“After reviewing Penrhyn’s allocation, I found that the increase was minimal. Nevertheless, we acknowledge and accept its allocation. I noticed a clear zero under the capital items and I must say, ‘Eiaue Tongareva e…’ (Oh, Tongareva!),” she said in parliament.

“Can the government consider this particular area and review it in future budget plans?”

Tapaitau asked the government to look into their airports and agreed with Opposition Leader Tina Browne to prioritise Tongareva Airport over Pukapuka Airport.

When Tapaita was sworn in as the island councillor in May, she highlighted the needs of the people. These included the urgent need for a boat to transport people to the opening of the mission in 2025, an assessment of whether the airport needed to be upgraded, the importance of renovating the pier, the need to strengthen and upgrade the power infrastructure, the acquisition of more water tanks and the renovation of the existing main water tank on land.