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The days of cowboy operators

Mon, 14 May 2012 15:02:03 +1200

Aviation is a major part of Queenstown’s adventure tourism and in the wake of a few major airborne disasters in other parts of the country, the Civil Aviation Authority have started taking their job of regulating this industry much more seriously.

Nobody will disagree the standard of safety in the aviation industry needs to be at the absolute highest possible level. Unlike a bus crash where the consequences have a chance of being no more serious than a fender bender or a bump on the nose, when something goes wrong in a plane, chopper or balloon the consequences are almost always much more severe. However that is not to say the guy driving the bus should not be under similarly strict operating conditions, but flying about in the air with passengers on board is a ball game with a much lower margin for error.

Investigations into the Wairarapa balloon and the Fox Glacier skydive disasters found traces of cannabis in the system of the balloon pilot and two of the skydive instructors. While this has not been confirmed as directly causing the tragedies, smoking a bit of pot is not the smartest thing to do when you are about to take people’s lives in your hands hundreds of metres above the ground and reaction times need to be split second. Queenstown’s development as an adventure tourism Mecca has not come about without a fair bit of risk but now we have far too much to lose and one rogue operator could ruin it for all.

New Zealand’s safety standards have copped plenty of flak particularly when stupid mistakes cause the death of a tourist whose life should have been cared for more responsibly. Drug and alcohol testing should be part of every adventure tourism operator’s procedure whether the authorities demand it or not. It makes me cringe when I see pilots, bus drivers, jet boat drivers, bungy operators and rafting guides partying it up just a few hours before heading off to work. The consequence of a hangover to an office worker is probably no more serious than lost productivity however when a dim minded hang glider pilot forgets to strap in his first customer of the day, or a raft guide forgets to pack his safety rope, things can go bad very quickly with devastating results.

It is absolutely vital the adventure industry is as safe as it can possibly be and when a grieving father criticises New Zealand’s lack of basic regulations, rather than argue the point, action needs to be taken. The days of cowboy operators and the good old Kiwi ‘she’ll be right’ attitude are well and truly over, and that is a good thing.

Tourism Tax

Mon, 07 May 2012 15:02:03 +1200

A year ago when Queenstown first hosted TRENZ there was a major buzz and plenty of optimism that this major tourism expo will not only create a bit of extra business in the quietest month of the year but also have long lasting tourism benefits. And the tourism expo was a roaring success receiving a big thumbs up from delegates and exhibitors. But the announcement that the event would return this year, and the fact it is taking place this week has hardly raised a ripple of interest in the wider community.

Rather than take this as a negative, the apparent lack of fuss this year could well be a reflection of how effortless it is for this region to host large high profile heavyweight expos like TRENZ. Even when based in the Events Centre, large delegations can be accommodated with a little bit of effort. Just imagine how easily Queenstown could take the next step to a full blown conference destination when our much talked about purpose built conference centre is up and running.

However, there is the not so small matter of funding a multimillion dollar conference centre. Under the current rateable base QLDC has at its disposal, such a facility is nothing more than a pipe dream without significant Central Government help. Alternatively Queenstown’s tourism based economy could support itself with something many of the delegates of TRENZ would probably have an opinion about - a tourism tax.

It is frustrating for everyone when you want and need something but come up against road blocks when you try to achieve it. As the argument for and against both a tourism tax and conference centre continue, it seems no solution is possible without outside help. A good place to start would be to interview the delegates of TRENZ. Here are hundreds of people from all over the world whose job it is to sell tourism. Would a tourism tax affect Queenstown’s appeal in the international market place? What feedback do they receive from clients who are subjected to tourism taxes in our parts of the world? Ultimately, if tourists were required to contribute in a small way towards the council owned services they use, would that make Queenstown harder to sell? I think not. It is fair and more than reasonable to require a contribution towards maintaining and improving services from all users not just the local population. I believe the term is ‘sustainable tourism’.

Local dollar is always valuable

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 15:02:03 +1200

Only a week ago the morning sun was rising from such a low angle in the sky it was rudely blocked from entering my window by a pesky tree. Then in the afternoon it sunk behind a hill at 4pm -a whole three hours earlier than a month ago when it seemed to hang in the sky forever. Move forward to this morning. The sun was streaming in though the kitchen window as the tree now stands bare, having lost all of its golden leaves. And in only seven days the afternoon sun is disappearing behind that hill at 3pm. This could mean only one thing. It is May.

There is a reason why May is traditionally one of the quietest months of the year for tourism in Queenstown. Compared to the splendour of April as the autumn colours in the district go crazy, or the excitement of the first significant snow fall in June, May is just plain boring. It’s a vicious cycle because the more people are turned off by this less than impressive month, the less there is for local businesses to feed off. So they close or reduce to a skeleton operation. Casual staff get laid off and without work many leave town, further reducing the grunt in the local economy. Less people in cafes, fewer shoppers in retail stores, half empty restaurants and thin pickings in the towns’ many bars. About the only industry that is still powering ahead at this time of year is the road contracting industry. You can’t seem to go anywhere without encountering road works as crews frantically try to spend the last of the year’s budget before it disappears in June and the weather completely caves in.

However there is an upside to May. The local dollar is never worth more than when visitor numbers dwindle. The businesses that make the effort to attract that dollar usually weather the storm better than those who fail to appreciate which side their bread is buttered on. Of course a local dollar is always valuable, but in May locals stand out more and it’s a very good time to press home that advantage. It might not translate to a ‘local’s discount’ but acknowledgment and a “thank you very much for the business” is a good start. At the end of the day this town is not just a playground for the world’s holidaymakers. If you call this place home then it is only right you are appreciated more than just another nameless face in the crowd.

Arrowtown has always had its own identity

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 15:02:03 +1200

It’s all about Arrowtown this week as the town celebrates another successful Autumn Festival, 150 years since the discovery of gold in the Arrow River set the Wakatipu on a path towards prosperity. However there are dark clouds on the horizon as QLDC manoeuvre to do away with Arrowtown’s independent seat at the council table.

For people living in Kelvin Heights, Fernhill, Lake Hayes Estate, Frankton or Arthurs Point, the fact Arrowtown has a dedicated councillor pushing their barrow must seem somewhat unfair. After all Arrowtown’s population is roughly the same as most of Queenstown’s suburbs. But Arrowtown is not a suburb of Queenstown and that is exactly the point of contention here.

Since 1862 Arrowtown has always had its own identity, and had its own borough council from 1867, before becoming part of Queenstown Lakes District Council in 1989. And when a bigger population swallows up a smaller one it is usually the smaller of the two that ends up feeling aggrieved. Particularly when specific representation is reduced, then reduced again until finally they have no voice and no votes at all.

According to the Local Government Act, Arrowtown is a few short of the numbers needed for independent representation. But when you compare the boundary of the Arrowtown ward and the area generally considered “Arrowtown” you can clearly see the problem. Large parts of Arrowtown’s catchment (as defined by the wider Arrowtown school zone) are not included. Not Millbrook, Lake Hayes or the surrounding countryside. It almost seems like big brother Queenstown is determined to absorb Arrowtown’s ratepayers and end years of independence through dodgy lines drawn on the wrong side of the fence.

For those outside of Arrowtown and with no direct links, the importance of Arrowtown’s independent direction should still be recognised and how that diversity adds value to the whole Queenstown Lakes District. It is a slippery slope when councillors make decisions outside of their jurisdiction and in my opinion the only people qualified to make the decision to ditch the Arrowtown ward are the people voted onto council by the Arrowtown ward, not the Wakatipu and Wanaka ward councillors. This would only leave two people able to vote (Mayor Vanessa van Uden and Arrowtown councillor Lex Perkins) and therefore the decision should go to a public referendum. And I can bet you a million dollars the people of Arrowtown, with or without its dodgy boundaries being redrawn, would never vote to become just another suburb of Queenstown.