A Northland gliding club has been grounded for the foreseeable future after thieves drove through multiple aircraft while stealing a $70,000 tractor from its hangar.
The break-in at Kaikohe Aerodrome left several gliders badly damaged — including a training aircraft — and could shut the volunteer-run club down for months or even years.
Kaikohe Glider Club secretary and treasurer Keith Falla told 1News the destruction happened as a vehicle was driven out of the hangar, pushing gliders into each other and into the building.
"They drove through four gliders with the car," he said.
"One of them was one of our training gliders and that one is severely damaged."
The damage to that single glider was worth about $50,000, with a further $20,000 to $30,000 in damage across the other aircraft.
"They all spun around and smashed into each other and into the hangar. One of them was pushed right through the side of the hangar," he said.
"The repairs required are extensive and, with the current shortage of certified gliding engineers in New Zealand, could take months or even years — at a cost far beyond our means."
The thieves also stole the club's tractor-mower — a large, newly purchased machine worth about $70,000 — which Falla said was essential to keeping the airfield operational.
The Kaikohe Aerodrome, built in 1942 as a US Marines bomber base, had the largest grass strip in the Southern Hemisphere, and the glider club had the responsibility of mowing it.
"If we don’t get that mower back immediately, we’d have to shut down," he said.
"It's dangerous to have longer grass with a small propeller aircraft, they can end up catching the propeller on the grass and causing a lot of damage."
Two deregistered vehicles for airfield use only were also taken, along with around 100 litres of diesel and petrol, and batteries from the club’s solar power system.
The club operates entirely through volunteers and does not run any commercial activity, offering some of the most affordable flight training in the region by operating without insurance to keep prices low.
"Unfortunately, this has left us extremely vulnerable, and this loss is something we simply cannot absorb," Falla said.
"We’re the only cheap place where people can come and learn to fly. This is where cadets come, and where a lot of people begin their flying careers."
The incident has prompted an outpouring of support from the local community, who Falla said were “shocked and disgusted” by the damage.
"Our first priority is to hopefully get the tractor/mower back or get help with the mowing so that the airfield can stay open. Next we will be looking for help getting another trainer glider and we’ll take it a step at a time from there to eventually get back to where we were."
He said the stolen tractor mower was distinctive, with large grass tyres, and urged anyone who may have seen something to contact police.
"It's easy to hide stuff around Northland, but I'm sure somebody must have noticed it," he said.
Police confirmed a report had been received of a burglary and theft on the afternoon of March 27.
"The report remains under initial assessment," a police spokesperson said.
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