The report, commissioned by the council last year, was designed to be used to attract private investment and although it has been published on the council’s website, its cover page still reads "private and confidential".
Last month, Waitaki Mayor Gary Kircher stepped down from a company established in March to advance the project. Making the document publicly available would "allow people to see what is proposed", Mr Kircher said at the council’s meeting this week.
"At the moment there is no preferred party [developer] — I want to make that clear," Mr Kircher said.
The report shows a planned two-phase approach to developing an adventure park at the harbour that would first include a "dual-line zip" from the quarry to the breakwater.
Phase two could include a tower for "free" jumping or abseiling; aerial high ropes, cliff climbing, natural play areas, accommodation, bike rentals, art walks and a water sports facility.
Last month, Forest & Bird Otago-Southland regional manager Sue Maturin wrote to the mayor "to ensure that any proposed development for the Oamaru harbour area avoids threatening wildlife, including the flyways, roosting and breeding areas for blue penguins, Otago shags, spotted shags, White fronted terns, red-billed gulls, and sooty shearwaters".
"There are bound to be more opportunities for Oamaru to make the most of its substantial world-class wildlife tourism opportunities that don’t involve threatening these precarious populations," she wrote in a letter provided to the Otago Daily Times.
This week she said: "Otago shags are very prone to disturbance, and the zipline is close enough to the shags to probably provide a continual disturbance."
At the council meeting, Mr Kircher said a map included in the back of the document would "allay some concerns around shags".
He said he believed the zipline could be created with "less than minor" effects on the rare birds.
"There’s no proof for them [the concerns]," Mr Kircher said.
The ODT reported last month that council chief executive Michael Ross believed because of the council’s close involvement in the project, an independent commissioner would be required to hear any consent applications for a zipline at Oamaru Harbour.
Mr Ross said at the time there was still some way for the zipline project to run.
Any company wanting to develop it would have to provide its plans, including how it would mitigate any concerns raised by community groups, he said.
