Glenorchy’s Dart River Adventures, owned by Ngai Tahu Tourism (NTT), was missed off a list released last week by Tourism Minister Kelvin Davis which detailed businesses happy to be named as recipients of the funding.
NTT senior communications adviser Katarina Johnson said the company believed it missed the deadline for notifying the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment it wanted to be in the announcement.
Dart River Adventures has been in hibernation since March — it has received $450,000 from the latest funding round.
Other NTT businesses to have gained funding, subject to agreement with the ministry, are Franz Josef Glacier Guides and Hot Pools, Tekapo’s Dark Sky Project and the National Kiwi Hatchery, in Rotorua. Each received $500,000.
Ms Johnson said NTT was unable to provide detail about how many of the 309 positions the company made redundant in May would be reinstated, or any breakdowns of positions at each of the businesses.
It could not comment yet on whether previous employees would be given priority, or if the funding meant both Dart River Jet and its Fun Yaks operation could resume.
"More information will be known in the coming weeks as we work through the next steps with MBIE," she said.
Ngai Tahu Tourism did not make any other strategic asset funding applications, including for Queenstown’s Shotover Jet.
