The popular Remarkables Ski Area says it needs updated equipment. Photo: Supplied / Jacqui Keay
The company that runs the Remarkables Ski Area says its ski lift must be replaced and proposed changes will improve safety and access.
NZSki has proposed a longer and slightly altered route when it replaces the current 37-year-old lift, and is seeking a 40-year concession.
The proposal has its opponents, including Ngāi Tahu, Forest and Bird and Federated Mountain Clubs.
Some were concerned about the length of the concession - which NZSki was needed to justify the $15 million investment - while others had concerns about ecology and the environment.
A hearing on the proposal was held remotely this morning.
NZSki chief executive Paul Anderson told the hearing committee an identical lift replacement at the Remarkables was not possible, and its plans would be safer.
"It's important to note that this proposal is not the expansion of the ski area - it is the replacement of a 37-year-old chairlift within an existing ski area subzone where chairlifts are fully anticipated under both the Otago Conservation Management Strategy and the District Plan.
"The chairlift must be replaced to ensure the most modern health and safety standards are met, and to provide the best possible infrastructure for ski area guests."
The chairlift would leave the base from the same area, but take an altered route and finish at a higher elevation.
It would avoid regionally significant wetlands as a result, Anderson said.
"The higher elevation of the top terminal provides safer access to ski terrain that's already part of the ski area and used by many people.
"It also increases access to this area, including to those with accessibility issues therefore making it more widely accessible to a wider range of people."
The proposal would also increase chairlift capacity from 1500 people per hour to 2400.
The hearings committee would now consider the submissions it received before submitting a report of recommendations.
