Remarkables chairlift delay blamed on Doc

An artist's impression of the new top station at The Remarkables.IMAGE: DOPPELMAYR
An artist's impression of the new top station at The Remarkables. IMAGE: DOPPELMAYR
NZSKI chief executive Paul Anderson has confirmed a $16million replacement chairlift at The Remarkables skifield in Queenstown will not be ready for this winter.

Paul Anderson
Paul Anderson
Speaking at the inaugural Otago Tourism Policy School conference in the resort on Friday morning, Mr Anderson reportedly said the lack of direction, support and certainty from the Department of Conservation meant the Sugar Basin chairlift would be delayed.

Media were not allowed to attend but University of Otago's department of tourism, organising the summit, issued a press release.

"Private sector participants can deal with whatever processes are put in front of us and we have a reasonable expectation that the processes will be well defined and certain," Mr Anderson said.

"A sure way to curtail investment in the sector is where uncertainty prevails and from conversations I've had with other operators, we're not the only company to experience a lack of direction and certainty from Doc as they struggle to maintain their conservation and commercial imperatives."

A hearing of submissions on the plans for a six-seater Sugar Basin chairlift, revised ski trails and snow-making equipment was held in December.

Concerns about the environmental impact of the work were raised at the hearing by botanist and University of Otago emeritus professor Sir Alan Mark and Forest & Bird Otago-Southland central regional manager Sue Maturin.

NZSki has been waiting for a decision from Doc since then.

Mr Anderson, at the policy school summit, said the Government needed to recognise and act upon systemic failures.

He cited Queenstown Airport Corporation's growth plans, which alarmed the community.

"The local community said enough. What's happening there is that the town simply can't sustain compounding double-digit tourism growth, and the economic benefits that brings, without much needed investment in core infrastructure so locals can preserve their quality of life".

He congratulated MBIE on the draft tourism strategy, but urged the Crown to set direction and show leadership on "the issues constraining us".

"We need to be aggressive at holding the industry participants to account - both public and private sector - for delivering the goals.

"This takes more than the agency CEOs coming together from time to time. This takes brave and committed political leadership. Further, MBIE needs to show leadership where other Government policy may be inconsistent.

"We need appropriate institutional frameworks and decision-makers prepared to make bold decisions and not simply reduce their own decision-making risks."

Comments

NZski have no one to blame for this other than themselves. Approvals take time, particularly when the developers are trying to make money on environmentally sensitive land.
Late December they were still demolishing the old chair lift. They started this project very late in the season rather than wait until next spring. Someone at NZSKI took a gamble hoping the weather would hold. And they lost the gamble. But as usual these days someone else must be responsible for my mistakes.

Bad planning and poor decision making does not park the blame with DOC.

Maybe they were hoping DOC would behave like the ORC and just give them consent to damage valued ecosystems regardless of what the officials recommended?

 

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