Damage to the lift occurred about 2.35pm after an inexperienced skier dismounted awkwardly, damaging the lift and causing it to shut down.
Some skiers spent almost two hours stranded on the lift and skifield workers had to manually evacuate those trapped.
Ohau Snow Fields owner Mike Neilson said just after 9am on Saturdaythe chairlift was opened following repairs and safety checks. The lodge was filled with people who had been stuck, but were keen to head back out on to the slopes.
Mr Neilson said the camber of the snow ramp at the top of the chairlift where people disembarked was altered to "encourage" people to come off the chair sooner.
He understood that some people had a tendency to baulk at the last minute when dismounting structures such as rides or even trees.
"You get cold feet. Obviously, they hung on when they should have let go."
Friday was the first chair evacuation for the company, Mr Neilson said.
"But it’s the nature of our business. We have events, be it avalanches or lost persons. It’s the nature of living in the mountains. It’s full of these sorts of experiences."
The skier responsible for the shutdown was believed to be well.
"They just skied down the hill."
