Жаңа Зеландия Әуе Күштерінің Охакеа әуе базасы

RNZAF Base Ohakea is an operational base of the Royal New Zealand Air Force. Opened in 1939, it is located near Bulls, 25 km north west of Palmerston North in the Manawatū. It is also a diversion landing point for civilian aircraft. The base's motto is Defensio per vires (Latin for defence through strength).

An air base was originally proposed in the area in 1927, when Ohakea was selected as the most suitable site for a mooring mast for airships of the British Imperial Airship service. It was proposed to build one mast for a demonstration flight, with the potential for expansion to a full airship base with three masts, airship sheds and hydrogen production. 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. When the Australian Government declined to build masts, the New Zealand Government declined likewise.

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. 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. Two large hangars (now hangars 2 and 3) were authorised to house the aircraft, to be designed by the Department of Public Works chief design engineer Charles Turner. Turner decided to build the hangars as monolithic reinforced concrete structures because structural steel could not be obtained in sufficient quantities without delays, while concrete and reinforcing steel could be delivered immediately. The same limitation forced Turner to adopt concrete doors. The arched hangars spanned 61 metres, with a height of 18 metres. The expense of the steel centring was spread across four hangars, as another two similar structures were ordered for RNZAF Base Auckland. The two Ohakea hangars were completed in 1939, at a cost of about £76,750 each. 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. However, the hangars have been in continuous use since their construction, and (re roofed in steel) remain in use today.

Squadron Aircraft Role No. 3 Squadron NH90, AW109 LUH Search and Rescue, Heavy Lifting, Battlefield support, Rotary Wing training. No.5 Squadron Boeing P 8 Poseidon Anti submarine warfare, maritime patrol, Search and Rescue. No. 14 Squadron Beechcraft T 6 Texan II Basic Pilot Training, Black Falcons Display team No. 42 Squadron Beechcraft Super King Air Twin Engine Pilot Training, VIP transport. Central Flying School Beechcraft T 6 Texan II Pilot Instructor Training

Ohakea is defined by Statistics New Zealand as a rural settlement. It covers and had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km2. It is part of the large Ohakea Sanson statistical area. The population of Ohakea was 252 in the 2018 New Zealand census, an increase of 3 (1.2%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 27 (12.%) since the 2006 census. There were 162 males and 87 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.86 males per female. Ethnicities were 219 people (86.9%) European/Pākehā, 27 (10.7%) Māori, 6 (2.4%) Pacific peoples, 12 (4.8%) Asian and 6 (2.4%) other ethnicities (totals add to more than 100% since people could identify with multiple ethnicities). Of the total population, 39 people (15.5%) were under 15 years old, 138 (54.8%) were 15–29, 69 (27.4%) were 30–64, and 3 (1.2%) were over 65.

Ohakea is a secondary diversion airport for heavy civilian aircraft such as the Boeing 787 and Boeing 777 if an aircraft's destination airport is temporarily closed. Ohakea has the facilities to process a significant number of passengers since the completion of a new terminal
On 29 January 2017, an Emirates Airbus A380 was diverted to RNZAF Base Ohakea due to a Singapore Airlines Airbus A380 blocking the main runway at Auckland International Airport because of a landing gear malfunction. The Emirates A380 was refuelled by RNZAF fuel tankers and departed for Auckland. This was the first time an A380 has landed at Ohakea. 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.

The Ohakea Airfield was used as a temporary motor racing circuit, predominantly in the 1950s. A 5.6 kilometre track hosted the inaugural New Zealand Grand Prix in 1950, while a shorter 3.5 kilometre circuit hosted the Ohakea Trophy from 1951 to 1956 and further national meetings from 1959 to 1962. The circuit was reopened for historic events in the 1980s.