Whale-watch sale follows tensions
Former Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) board member Peter Griffiths is quitting his Kaiko¯ ura aerial sightseeing business, which has been at the centre of tensions among companies running whale watching flights.
Griffiths’ son Edward Griffiths, the chief pilot of Wings Over Whales, confirmed the company jointly owned by him, his wife Aneka Bowker and his father was ‘‘about to be sold’’.
The couple said they made the decision to sell independently and it was unrelated to a long-running dispute over aircraft parking that resulted in the serving of a trespass order on a competitor.
It was also unrelated to a CAA investigation that revealed tensions between companies flying whale-watch tours out of Kaiko¯ ura, they said.
‘‘We had decided to sell for personal reasons to our good friends. Owning Wings Over Whales has been fantastic and we have absolutely loved our time in Kaiko¯ ura,’’ Bowker said.
Peter Griffiths, who resigned from his position as deputy chairman of the CAA board last year over the release of confidential information, did not respond to a request for an interview.
Ill feeling between Kaiko¯ura operators was covered in the recent independent investigation carried out by Mary Scholtens, QC, after allegations Griffiths had breached confidence by telling Barrier Air, an Auckland airline he part-owned, that competitor Sunair had been grounded.
Scholtens also looked into whether Griffiths used his position to get the CAA to take regulatory action against competitors of Barrier Air and Wings Over Whales, and concluded he had not.
However, her report described tensions between Kaiko¯ura operators was a result of intense competition for business and a dispute over the parking area used by a Wings Over Whales aircraft, which had been a sore point for at least two years.
Griffiths’ dual status as an airline owner and a board member carried the risk of a perception of bias, especially when it came to him dealing directly with CAA staff, Scholtens said.
She listed three specific examples, including an occasion where Griffiths personally complained to a CAA liaison officer about the operations manager of a Wings Over Whales competitor, an action she described as ‘‘unwise’’ and ‘‘uncomfortably close’’ to seeking to influence regulatory decisions.
Matters were ‘‘inflamed’’ when Edward Griffiths obtained a trespass notice in 2016 preventing the operations manager of a competing operator from entering the airport terminal building, which Wings Over Whales leased.
Scholtens’ report said Peter Griffiths told her he had concerns about the ‘‘toxic environment’’ in Kaiko¯ ura and its impact on his son and daughter-in-law, but the subject of the trespass notice ‘‘vehemently’’ denied harassing the family members, saying he was acting on safety concerns.
The Kaiko¯ ura District Council owns the airport and has worked with the CAA to sort issues at the airfield.
Council chief executive Angela Oosthuizen said she was confident any safety concerns were resolved in February when Wings Over Whales agreed not to park its aircraft on an area that was now designated as a taxiway.
‘‘We have been very explicit that even if there were relationship issues between parties, we expect the utmost health and safety to be followed in the air.’’
Tour operators Air Kaikoura and Kaikoura Helicopters declined to comment.
Daniel Stevenson, who owns South Pacific Whale Watch, said everything was now ‘‘pretty happy’’ between those operating sightseeing flights. He would not say whether his company was the Wings Over Whales buyer.