Kawarau Jet says it is open to what the Environment Court recommends in its final verdict on the legal battle between two jet-boat operators and is "confident the judge and commissioners will make the right decision".
Co-director, operations, and a jet-boat driver of 23 years, Shaun Kelly was asked to comment after he attended a scheduled Kawarau Jet board meeting of five members, on Monday.
The interim decision on the appeal by the company and associated operation, Clearwater Pursuits Ltd, to stop Queenstown Water Taxis Ltd operating rival Thunder Jet trips on the Kawarau River was sent to the parties last week.
"We're going to wait for the decision and go from there on their recommendations," Mr Kelly said.
When asked if there were any points in the interim decision the board members took exception to, Mr Kelly said there were not.
"We've accepted what they say, and we just wait for the final decision and the Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) report. I'm not sure when that report will come out, over the fatalities in the [private] jet-boat and the jet ski on January 5, 2009."
If Judge Laurie Newhook, with commissioners David Bunting and John Mills, found in favour of Queenstown Water Taxis, Mr Kelly said the company would work with Maritime New Zealand, the court's recommendations and the Queenstown Lakes harbourmaster's office on operating procedures.
Mr Kelly said he could not comment, when asked if Kawarau Jet would take its appeal further if the court found for Water Taxis.
Water Taxis spokesman Duncan Storrier said yesterday the tone of the tentative decision was relatively clear and he hoped the parties could move forward.
"We remain extremely willing and open to comply with Maritime New Zealand and the harbourmaster to get the final matters of communication resolved with Kawarau Jet."
Mr Kelly maintained there was not room for two commercial jet-boat operators on the river. He recalled the Queenstown Lakes District Council decided there was "proliferation" of jet-boat companies in 1992 and it would not issue any more consents.
Kawarau Jet had taken over 10 companies on the open market and 16 jet-boat consents over 15 years, but because they were all under the Kawarau Jet umbrella, it looked like there was only one operator, Mr Kelly said.
Safety on the waterway remained the company's priority, he said. Hundreds of trips would be involved if Kawarau Jet fully exercised all its consents.
There have been 10 deaths on the river, between Kawarau Falls Dam and Arrow Junction-Smith's Falls in 40 years, he said.
Mr Storrier said it was not for him as a competitor to comment on Kawarau Jet's decision to accumulate other operators, but Water Taxis directors thought, "the discussion's been well worn through in the right court environment".
Judge Newhook's office in Auckland yesterday could not give a date when the final Environment Court decision will be released.
A confidential second final draft TAIC report is expected to be distributed among parties involved in the fatal river incident almost two years ago, following the monthly commissioners' meeting on Wednesday.
A final public TAIC report was likely to be released in early March.
