A Queenstown Lakes District Council hearings panel chaired by deputy mayor Quentin Smith, of Wānaka, heard 24 public submissions on Monday about local maritime rules.
Cr Smith said the panel would deliberate tomorrow. A recommendation to the full district council would likely be made at the end of January, for possible sign-off by the district council in February.
This bylaw revision drew at least 100 written submissions from lakes Wānaka and Wakatipu lake users and watersports clubs, mostly concerned that proposed ski lane removals would increase boating congestion and the potential for dangerous clashes on lakes and rivers.
Other concerns included jumping off the Albert Town bridge into the Clutha River, the Kawarau River access lanes, carrying communication devices, temporary events and vessel speeds.
The amendments for Lake Wakatipu included shifting the Kelvin Grove western ski lane pole east by between 40m and 80m, retaining the Loop Rd ski lane, and reducing the Kawarau Dam access lanes.
For Lake Wānaka, the amendments created a smaller launch lane at Eely Point, retaining the Waterfall Creek ski lane, and reducing and moving the Glendhu Bay ski lane away from the boat ramp.
Wānaka submitter Dean Rankin said he felt the council was ‘‘just making things harder’’ for powered craft users.
‘‘We are getting pushed up the lake, away from these magic wee spots that we can go to after work for a wee water ski before going home,’’ Mr Rankin said.
He accepted compromises were needed — for example while he was ‘‘not happy’’ about a six-week removal of a Roys Bay ski lane for public safety over the height of summer, he could live with it, ‘‘but the Wānaka Lake Swimmers Club might also need to compromise and lose 200m off the end of their Roys Bay buoy line’’.
Wānaka man John Clarkson said he did not think there was any evidence of clashes between lake users.
Removing ski lanes was an ‘‘emotive’’, ‘‘reactive’’, and ‘‘undemocratic’’ response to the Wānaka Lake Swimmers Club concerns and the Roys Bay swim buoy lane should be shorter, he said.
Wānaka Lake Swimmers Club representatives Niamh Shaw and Anna-Kate Hutter supported the ski lane amendments.
Their other concern was about who should be responsible for the 600m Roys Bay swim buoy lane, which was installed many years ago by former harbour master Marty Black, after consultation with the then Wānaka Community Board and Wānaka police.
Very recently, the club was told by current harbourmaster, Cougar Security, it should be maintaining the buoy line.
But the buoy line was clearly a council asset and the club did not have resources or expertise to maintain it, Mrs Hutter said.
She agreed with Cr Smith the buoy line lacked legal status and suggested the bylaw could be amended with maps to define safe swimming reserves in Roys Bay, at Eely Point and Lake Hawea.
Kelvin Peninsula Community Association members David Mayhew and Carey Vivian said they welcomed most of the bylaw changes but had ‘‘residual concerns’’ about recommendations to reduce Frankton Arm ski lanes and Kawarau Dam access lanes.
The reductions created tight turning areas and additional difficulties in already congested boating areas.
Queenstown windsurfer, foiler and waterskier Jonty Norton said Kelvin Heights was a complex and incredibly busy place, with boat wakes, accident risks, ‘‘visitors not knowing the rules’’, and ‘‘once-a-year boat drivers’’.
He was concerned that narrowing the Kawarau Dam access lanes would create a bigger blind spot, had not been well thought through and was ‘‘an accident waiting to happen’’.
In a second submission for the Southern Lakes Windriders Club, Mr Norton said the bylaws had not taken wind-powered sports into consideration.
‘‘There are so many nuances for how we operate our sport, we would be breaking some rules in the bylaws,’’ he said.
