Ski area owner requests deferral

A controversial land exchange to enable a $250 million expansion of Canterbury's Porters Ski Area has been put on hold.

Michael Sleigh, the ski area's managing director, confirmed yesterday that owner Blackfish had asked the Department of Conservation (DOC) to defer its decision on the proposed deal while it was reconsidered.

Sleigh said the proposal had not been withdrawn. "We just have to consider whether it remains a goer or not."

Blackfish is still pursuing a Selwyn District Council private plan change to rezone the area. The predominantly Australian-owned company wanted "limited" freehold ownership of 200 hectares of DOC land, mostly in Crystal Valley next to the Porters basin.

The land was bought by the Nature Heritage Fund for permanent protection in 2004.

In exchange, 321ha of Porters' perpetual ski-area lease – mainly steep-sloped land not suitable for skiing and a 56ha slice following Crystal Stream – would be given up.

Long-term funding would also be provided for a kiwi recovery programme.

Forest & Bird Canterbury-West Coast field officer Jen Miller said DOC already has enough information to make a decision. "The department needs to consider the matter in principle – it's either a good idea as far as they're concerned or it's not," she said.

"It should decide now."

In a letter released to The Press under the Official Information Act, Sleigh told Canterbury Conservator Mike Cuddihy in May that the developer needed the land to be freehold so banks and individuals had the financial security to invest.

He said Crystal Valley's intrinsic values would not be maintained if a ski area was established.

"It is the very nature of land exchanges that the trade-offs between various conservation values must be made."

- © Fairfax NZ News