Massey University School of Aviation

Congratulations to Brooklyn Snelgrove as our latest student to do their first solo. Keep up all your hard work 👏🎉✈️

Earlier this month we had the pleasure of giving the New Zealand Fire Brigades' Institute Inc a look around the Aviation Centre as part of their PMR Field Day. Here are some pictures from that gorgeous day!

Congratulations to Napsugar Banfalvi, and Elilai Paton who are our most recent students to go first solo ✈️

All your hard work has paid off keep it up! 🤙

𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦 𝐨𝐟 𝐬𝐨𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐫 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐫𝐮𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐦𝐨𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐥𝐲 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝, 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐀𝐯𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐎𝐩𝐞𝐧 𝐃𝐚𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮. ✈️

Join us on Saturday 12 September 2026 to meet industry experts, discover exciting career pathways, and learn how you can take off with us at Massey.

Registrations are now open via our website — bookings are essential: https://www.massey.ac.nz/about/events/aviation-open-day/

Huge congrats to our most recent first solos! ✈️🎉
Alexus Richardson, Phoebe Young, Shail Shah, Zoe Chuang, Hammad Hussain, Jake Van Den Bemb, Thomas Wilkinson, Ruthvik Tejaswi, Saveliy Seredin, Sharif Ellicott, and Takasane Ogawa. You have all now completed the first step in becoming a pilot! Enjoy the rest of the journey.

𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹 𝗼𝗳 𝗔𝘃𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗔𝗹𝘂𝗺𝗻𝗶, 𝗮 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀.
𝗪𝗲 𝗵𝗼𝗽𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝗼𝗿 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗳 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗹𝘀𝗼 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘄𝗰𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝗺𝗮𝘇𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗺𝗻𝗶 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸.

Daniel De Bono

Andrew Gilbey recently had the pleasure of catching up with another of the School of Aviation’s Bachelor of Aviation Management graduates, Daniel De Bono. Daniel was in the first Aviation Research Methods class that Andrew taught at Massey, way back in 2005, and completed his studies the same year, graduating in May of 2006.

Intriguingly, Daniel started out to become a pilot in Cohort 40 of the Bachelor of Aviation degree. However, even although he had good grades, he chose to transfer to the Aviation Management programme because he felt it could be a better fit for his skill set. So, was that a good choice? Let’s see.

Daniel’s first aviation employment was with Queenstown Airport as a technical writer reviewing the airport’s suite of certification and operational documentation, which he began immediately after finishing his studies. After a few months, still at Queenstown, he moved to become Airport Administration Manager, working on the provision of airport services and taking a lead in stakeholder relationships. One year on, and still just 23, Daniel became the Queenstown Airport Operations Manager, where he led several projects, including operational preparedness for the introduction of Jetstar Airways.

After more than five years with Queenstown Airport, Daniel moved to Wellington Airport, initially as an Airport Manager, and then as Manager of Airfield and Airport Fire Service, where he worked on several high-profile projects for more than 3 years. Next, was a short stint with GroupEAD Asia Pacific, a joint venture between a Spanish company specialising in navigation services and Airways NZ as Manager of Aeronautical Information Management. Then it was back to the South Island and Dunedin Airport as General Manager of Infrastructure and Service Delivery, where, amongst a host of other duties, he led the development of Dunedin Airport’s 20-year master plan. Three years prior to us hearing about COVID, in 2019, Daniel stepped away from airports to work as an independent aviation consultant, then, away from aviation altogether, for Southern District Health Board, first as a project manager and then as the Service Manager for the Southern Blood and Cancer Service. While aviation and health might seem quite different, we agreed that the two industries actually have much in common. But it wouldn’t be long!

After a year away, the call of working in Airports was clearly too much, and Daniel moved back to Dunedin Airport, initially as General Manager Operations and Infrastructure, then 3 months as acting Chief Executive, and finally, where we find him today, as Chief Executive. In Dec 2022, the Otago Daily Times did a feature of their new Airport CEO, ‘‘Local boy lands top airport job” where it was observed that “Daniel stood out as an experienced aviation professional who has already proven himself in various senior leadership roles across New Zealand’’. At the time of his appointment, Dunedin was no longer an International Airport. On that topic, Daniel is quoted as saying that “I will continue working with our airline partners to better connect the city and lower South Island to Australia…. I know many people on both sides of the Tasman miss that direct connection into our great city”. Good to his word, Jetstar flights from Dunedin to the Gold Coast resumed mid 2025!

When talking about his role at Dunedin, Daniel had no hesitation in replying that one of the best parts of it was leading an amazing team of people and getting work done. When pushed, Daniel’s modesty was still apparent when he said he helps make the conditions for good things to happen. Well, he’s certainly doing something very right to have got where he is today.

Outside work, Daniel is a family man with a young daughter. Very wisely, he makes sure to protect his family time, which includes skiing, boating, gardening and even DIY. And, of course, like a lot of people in aviation, Daniel follows the aviation news – including watching the ‘3 minutes of aviation videos’ on You tube.

Andrew always makes sure he asks our alumni for some words of advice for current aviation students or recent graduates. What Daniel says has worked for him is to be inquisitive – don’t give up - keep your eyes open for opportunities - don’t be fixated on one pathway; there are many ways you can get to where you want to be. When you get your foot-in the door, you’ll find other opportunities open when you show what you can do. It’s clearly worked for Daniel!

I asked earlier if changing degree programmes was a good choice – I think that the evidence speaks for itself. And Daniel agrees.

All of us at the School of Aviation will be following Daniel’s career and wish him all the best.

𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹 𝗼𝗳 𝗔𝘃𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗔𝗹𝘂𝗺𝗻𝗶, 𝗮 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀.

𝗪𝗲 𝗵𝗼𝗽𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝗼𝗿 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗳 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗹𝘀𝗼 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘄𝗰𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝗺𝗮𝘇𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗺𝗻𝗶 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸.

Steven Wollenweber is a proud alumnus of Massey University School of Aviation who qualified for his ‘Wings’ in 2023. He moved to Canada to continue building his aviation career and progressed through a number of flying roles. He is currently a King Air 200 captain flying for a Medivac service in Manitoba, Canada. Steven has this to say about his journey.

“Flying in Canada has provided me with experience operating in challenging weather conditions, remote environments, and diverse operational settings, all of which have contributed significantly to my professional development. Aviation in northern Canada constantly pushed me to adapt and grow, whether it’s departing from a 760m snow covered gravel runway, hauling fuel drums, or managing client needs.
My time at Massey played an important role in preparing me for the aviation industry. The program provided a strong technical foundation, while also developing professionalism, decision-making, and discipline that I continue to use every day in my career.
One of the most rewarding parts of my journey has been taking the skills and knowledge gained in New Zealand and applying them internationally.
I encourage all graduates to dream big and take the big steps into the aviation industry; there’s incredible opportunities far and close! I can truly say my flying in Canada has tested me to lengths I would have never imagined; however, I am extremely grateful to be able to have gained this opportunity”.

✈️ From dreamer to trailblazer.

We’re proud to celebrate one of our own - pilot Isabel Drollet Macdonald, who is set to become Air Rarotonga’s first female pilot! Her journey is a powerful reminder that aviation is for everyone — and that determination, passion, and hard work can take you anywhere.
Stories like Isabel’s inspire the next generation of aviators across the Pacific and beyond. Seeing more women step into the cockpit helps open doors for future pilots to believe: “You can absolutely do it.”
At the School of Aviation, we’re committed to supporting students who are ready to challenge boundaries, pursue excellence, and take flight toward extraordinary careers.

The sky is never the limit. 🌏✈️

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/pacific_cook-islands/595029/the-views-will-always-win-meet-air-rarotonga-s-first-female-pilot

A huge congratulations to our M82 cohort, who officially received their Wings yesterday! This achievement marks an important milestone in their aviation journeys and reflects the hard work, commitment, and perseverance they have shown throughout their training. Well done, M82! ✈️