Arkwrights Airstrip/Dunsandel (Private)

Economic reasons related to a change in land use. The site was converted from a private aviation facility to intensive agricultural use, specifically for irrigated farming or pasture. The installation of a center-pivot irrigator, a significant capital investment, demonstrates that the land was deemed more valuable for agricultural production than for use as an airstrip.

The site has been fully repurposed for agriculture. The land where the runway was located is now a cultivated field under a center-pivot irrigation system. From the air, the faint, straight outline of the former runway is still discernible, but it is no longer a prepared surface and is completely unusable for aircraft. There are no remaining aviation facilities, such as hangars or markings, visible at the site.

Arkwrights Airstrip was a private grass airfield typical of many found in New Zealand's rural areas. Its primary function was likely to support local agricultural aviation (such as top-dressing and crop spraying) and general aviation for private recreational flying. The name 'Arkwrights' suggests it was owned and operated by the Arkwright family, who owned the property. While not of major national significance, it was part of the local aviation infrastructure in the Canterbury Plains, providing a convenient base for aircraft operations in the Dunsandel area. The identifier NZ-0006 is an unofficial code used by third-party aviation databases and not an official ICAO designation.

There are no known plans or prospects for reopening the airstrip. The conversion to intensive agriculture with permanent infrastructure (the irrigator) makes a return to aviation use highly improbable and economically unviable. The land is now an integral part of a modern farming operation.