However, there was no point in going ahead with the development of the site without a commitment from the Australian Government to build masts to provide bases in that country.

In 1935 the Labour government committed to an expansion of the military air service at the expense of the navy, seeing this as a way of reducing the total defence vote.

At the end of 1935, the government accepted an air service expansion plan developed by RAF Wing Commander Ralph Cochrane.

[3] The plan called for several new bases, with a major development at Ohakea, which would be home to 30 Wellington bombers on order for the RNZAF.

The expense of the steel centring was spread across four hangars, as another two similar structures were ordered for RNZAF Base Auckland.

Ultimately, the Wellington bombers for which the hangars were built never arrived, as they were donated to Britain at the start of the Second World War, forming The New Zealand Squadron.

[4] During the Second World War, Ohakea was the RNZAF's main training base for operational conversion to fighters, observers/navigators for medium bombers and air gunners.

[5] Also in 1993 a new aviation wing of the Royal New Zealand Air Force Museum was opened at Ohakea.

A plan to consolidate all RNZAF operations at Ohakea was abandoned in March 2009 as part of a change of policy on the part of the incoming National Government who chose to retain two operational air bases, Ohakea and Whenuapai, for use by the RNZAF.

Another significant infrastructure has included a brand new main gate duty centre which the RNZAF Police and RNZAF Security Forces personnel occupy, an international air movements terminal named after Sir Richard Bolt which was completed in 2014.

This allows Ohakea the ability to accommodate international civilian flights if Wellington Airport was closed.

Ohakea has been the subject of a feasibility study into mixed-use military and civilian freight capability, which has included lengthening the main runway to accommodate the Boeing 747.