Jackson Bay, 30km south of Haast, has only half a dozen permanent residents but is the base for about 15 commercial fishing boats and is a popular launching place for many recreational fishing boats.
However, few boat owners have been paying for boat facilities provided by the Westland District Council.
Now, the council has put management of the facilities in the hands of its property company, Westland Property Ltd, and general manger Bruce Smith has spelled out to the Otago Daily Times the changes that will begin taking effect from next month.
First in line will be the owners of 54 commercial fishing boats that largely stopped paying to use Jackson Bay's rundown wharf in April 2008. They will be billed for $150,000 of levy arrears.
Mr Smith said the property company had become involved because of the council's "pure frustration" over collecting levies, which are based on catch weight.
"For some reason, in the first quarter of April 2008 they (commercial boat owners) stopped supplying their catch figures to council.
"Council tried to follow them up. It went round and round in circles."
The property company had now carried out a "full audit", and as well as collecting the arrears, a new schedule of charges would come into effect on July 1.
The managing director of the biggest commercial user of the wharf, Barn Bay Fishing Co, Geoff Robson, agreed it was time for boat owners to "bite the bullet" if they wanted to save the wharf from being condemned.
In respect of the arrears, Mr Robson said no-one would be happy about paying but "it's a reality of life. Our wharf's in a bad way. It needs fixing".
Mr Robson said for many years his company collected the wharf levy from fishermen for the council.
"The system just seems to have fallen to bits and as less and less paid, of course, the last few paying became more reluctant to pay."
He said the system broke down at the council end.
"We were still prepared to pay."
Mr Robson said his group of companies employed about 10 full and part-time staff at Jackson Bay.
"If we don't have a wharf, 10 jobs go, so we're pretty serious about wanting the wharf."
Change is also on the way for recreational fishers using Jackson Bay, where up to 50 boats a day are launched during summer. A new pay-and-display car and boat trailer park will be built and the old boat ramp near the wharf is to get a $50,000 upgrade.
But in future, instead of simply being given the opportunity to put $10 into an honesty box, users will be charged $25 a time.
And if they forget, CCTV cameras will enable the company to send out reminders, along with an "administration fee" of $50.
If they still do not pay, Mr Smith said, the company will "trespass them".
"So after that they can go and fish somewhere else."
The same regime will apply to car parking, although residents within 20km of Jackson Bay will be able to apply for exemptions to both charges.
Mr Smith says he expects the new hardline user-pay systems will mean his popularity will be "quite low".
However the same revenue collecting and facility upgrading strategies had been employed with good results at the heliport at Franz Joseph and at Hokitika Airport.
