The council and its safety work around its waterways have come under fire during the process of developing a new Otago Regional Council bylaw around navigation on coastal areas and Lake Dunstan.
Waterways in the Queenstown Lakes are governed by the district council, under an agreement with the regional council more than 20 years ago over the coverage of waterways.
Submitter Katie McNabb — recognised as an expert witness in the Environment Court since 2022 — says in the submission process for the new navigation bylaw there was a need for the delegation rules given to Queenstown’s council around navigation to return to the regional council.
For the safety of water users in the area, delegation must be removed from the district council and it was ‘‘about saving lives’’, she says.
The existing arrangement has the district council contracted to a third party, an external provider, rather than directly employing a harbourmaster, she says.
She describes this as ‘‘an extraordinary arrangement with no guarantees of quality, qualifications of staff, of service and/or responsibility to the delegation from the regional council’’.
A district council spokesperson says the harbourmaster service combines internal management and oversight with delivery through external contractors.
‘‘Personnel undertaking this function on QLDC waterways are warranted harbourmasters. They are appropriately qualified and certified under Maritime NZ frameworks. Qualified personnel are available 24/7 with on-call coverage to respond to incidents and safety matters as required.
‘‘This approach reflects a deliberate decision by QLDC to deliver a flexible and scalable service, particularly during peak seasonal demand, in a cost-effective way,” the spokesperson says.
— Steve Hepburn
