A long-anticipated upgrade to Manihiki Airport is finally on track, following the tabling of the 2025/2026 National Budget by Prime Minister Mark Brown in Parliament last month.

The $14.8 million project will be financed through the Infrastructure Trust Fund (ITF) and New Zealand’s Kerekere Moana initiative.  The ITF is a mechanism whereby the New Zealand Government can provide support to the Cook Islands Government in implementing infrastructure investment.

The Manihiki Airport upgrade marks a major step forward for infrastructure in the Northern Group atoll, which has long awaited improvements to its air access.

Five staff members from Te Tango Angaanga o te Kuki Airani/Infrastructure Cook Islands (ICI) – Tenga Mana, Matthew Sullivan, Mike Kamana, Jerome Tura and Timothy Tangirere – recently visited the island to prepare for the project’s rollout.

According to ICI Secretary, Elizabeth Wright-Koteka, the team is currently in the procurement stage for essential components including plant, equipment, building materials and transport logistics.

“Much of the equipment has already been procured,” said Wright-Koteka. “Freight arrangements and key materials such as bitumen, chip and fuel are also nearing finalisation.”

The visit served multiple purposes, including the finalisation of the airport’s physical scope due to updates in design.

Manihiki community members were also invited to walk the proposed runway area, offering a first-hand view of the project’s footprint and the tree-clearing necessary to meet civil aviation requirements.

The team also inspected the island’s harbour, which will undergo preliminary works.

A temporary landing site for offloading machinery was also assessed.

“We also looked at the island’s existing machinery and barge to determine whether they’re in adequate condition to support the project,” added Wright-Koteka.

Dialogue with the Manihiki Island Council and the community was another critical component of the visit as the ICI officials presented the planned works and expressed the need for local support to ensure smooth implementation of the project.

The first shipment of construction blocks for the temporary landing is due later this month, with full mobilisation of ICI personnel to Manihiki scheduled for July.

Harbour works, which include widening and deepening the harbour to allow greater ease of movement for barges taking plant and materials ashore, is planned ahead of the construction of the airport. 

Once these initial stages are completed, work on the runway upgrade will officially begin.

Wright-Koteka says the entire project is expected to take 10 months from mobilisation to demobilisation.

Located in the Northern Group, Manihiki, locally known as Te Fuinga o Niva, is a triangular-shaped coral atoll made up of 43 motu encircling a deep, nine-kilometre-wide lagoon.

Like other low-lying atolls in the Cook Islands, it faces growing threats from rising sea levels, highlighting the urgency of improved transportation infrastructure.

The airport upgrade is not only an important infrastructure development but also a strategic investment in climate resilience and connectivity for one of the Cook Islands’ most remote communities.