Dispute brews over visitor levy

THE PRESS

Russell Beck's anchor chain sculpture at Lee Bay, the entrance to the Rakiura National Park, on Stewart Island. There is some dispute over who controls a proposed $5 visitor levy to Stewart Island.

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Just who controls a proposed $5 visitor levy to Stewart Island is being disputed after the idea moved to public consultation this month.

Under the Southland District Council's proposal the $5 would be collected voluntarily by the main transport operators and be used to maintain and develop visitor amenities and services.

However, several people have voiced concerns about the council controlling the levy with one calling for the establishment of a community trust to oversee collection and spending.

Resident and tourism operator Peter Tait has submitted a proposal outlining the details of the trust and said having the council run and administer a fund would "run a real risk of having spending focused on their own priorities".

Mr Tait said having a trust would cut through a lot of the red tape involved with the council and make sure the funds were administered in the best possible way.

"There's an innate suspicion that local authorities are laws to themselves and don't necessarily reflect a community. That might be a bit harsh but there it is."

Mr Tait's proposal suggests the trust be made up of several different members of the community representing tourism, transport, the council and the general public.

Suggestions tourists would be put off by the levy were dismissed by Mr Tait who said the idea had been positively received by all his customers, especially if the fund was community managed.

"I'll be absolutely bloody brutal; if you can't afford that extra $5 I don't want to see you."

Stewart Island property owner Murray Halstead said he agreed with the idea of a community trust.

If council administered the fund it could be tempted to spend it in place of rating funds, he said.

Stewart Island ward councillor Bruce Ford said he could not see the sense in setting up a trust as the council already had all the systems in place to deal with the levy. "You're actually duplicating by having another trust, the problems of having to set it up and all the trustees forever changing, its just another encumbrance I don't think you need frankly."

But if a community trust was what people wanted then the option would be looked at, he said.

- © Fairfax NZ News