New CAA boss to address aviation industry at AIANZ Conference – NZ Herald

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Aviation Industry Association Acting President Gordon Alexander, is looking forward to having a “robust” discussion with the newly appointed CAA Director at AIANZ’s 2025 conference, reports John Weekes.

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AIANZ Acting President, Gordon Alexander says he hopes “robust” discussion greets the new Civil Aviation Authority chief. The regulator needs an attitude adjustment, Alexander said today. 

He told pilots, businesspeople, engineers and other officials and aviation professionals that new CAA chief executive Kane Patena would address the conference tomorrow.

Patena took over from Keith Manch at the start of this month. He was previously at WorkSafe and before that a partner at Meredith Connell, the law firm with the Crown warrant for prosecutions in Auckland.

Alexander told the AIANZ annual conference that members had roles including “holding the regulator to account, as they rightly do to us”.

And he told the crowd in Wellington the CAA had “too much inward focus that has come at the expense of a wider view”.

“The past few years especially since the pandemic have been challenging,” he added.

“The workforce challenges can’t be solved by our industry alone and need the support of Government.”

He also cited levies or fees imposed by the CAA, Airways and ACC.

“It’s been a pretty tough 12 months for many in the industry,” the event’s MC Jehan Casinader said.

“Many of your businesses are facing increased costs, workforce shortages and rising levies.”

Kane Patena will be speaking at 10:00am tomorrow, at the AIANZ Conference held at Tākina Wellington Convention & Exhibition Centre.

Read the full article here.

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