Commercial aircraft operators have appealed to the Department of Conservation (Doc) not to restrict their access to Mt Aspiring National Park for scenic flights, heli-skiing, hunting and filming.
Doc heard from 13 submitters on the draft review to the Mt Aspiring National Park Management Plan in the first day of hearings in Queenstown yesterday.
The review is to determine how the country's third-largest national park - which stretches from Otago to South Westland - will be managed until 2020.
The draft plan proposes to restrict landings at Forbes Block to 120 landings a year - the number of present yearly landings plus 25%.
However, operators say this is too restrictive and does not provide for growth.
Currently, operators have individual allocations depending on the length of their concessions.
Glenorchy Air owner Robert Rutherford said the plan was biased against aircraft, as "no aircraft operator could survive financially on these number of landings".
The plan had subjective and unsubstantiated opinions presented as fact, he said.
Mr Rutherford said he flew elderly or disabled passengers who could not see the park by foot and it was a human rights issue that Doc was "unlawfully" planning to restrict access to people with disabilities from the park.
"The writers of this plan would ban all aircraft from the park if they could get away with it," he said.
Visitors flying over the park had no measurable environmental impact, whereas walkers left waste, and if they went missing, hundreds of aircraft hours was used looking for them.
A reasonable number of landings should be allowed under controlled conditions, he said.
He proposed Doc and operators could set up a system where pilots would avoid areas being used by walking groups to minimise noise disruption.
Planner Sean Dent made a submission on behalf of Heliworks Queenstown, which flies film crews to the park.
He said Doc had no justification for reducing landings and the plan should be rewritten to recognise access for the film industry, which had huge economic benefits for the region.
Dawn Palmer, of Heliventures Ltd, said there was increasing demand for scenic landings in remote parts of the park.
Landings in remote, inaccessible terrain would have no impact on trampers, she said. She appealed for "heli-hunting" to be included in the plan as a controlled programme.
Totally Tourism owner Mark Quickfall proposed Doc meet user groups to debate issues and to come to logical solutions.
He was concerned about the proposed inclusion of the Upper Shotover into the park and whether his company would lose its concession to fly groups into the area for heli-skiing .
Helicopter Queenstown, Southern Lakes Helicopters and Air Milford also made submissions pleading with Doc to retain air access to the park.
The hearing panel comprised Doc Wakatipu area manager Greg Lind, Chas Tanner and Garry Nixon from the Otago Conservation Board and Doc senior planner Bronwyn Hunt.
The hearings resume today and continue in Wanaka tomorrow.
Mr Lind said the draft plan would be amended taking submissions into consideration. It would be "several months" before a final plan was signed off by the Minister of Conservation.
The plan attracted 436 submissions from hunters, recreational and commercial users, residents and environmental groups.
Other submissions at the hearing:
• Paradise resident Jim Veint raised issues about mining rights, filming rights and pest control.
• The Routeburn Walks Ltd guided walking company said limits on the number of guided walkers were unfair and requested flexibility to maintain access for walking groups. Queenstown Climbing Club president Guillaume Charton called for permanent bolts in the Lower Dart Valley walls, including Chinaman's Bluff.
The bolts would only be visible to climbers.
• Queenstown Milford Users representative Lloyd Matheson said the group of 34 members wanted a greater role in the review process.
• NZ Mountain Guides Association member Aaron Halstead raised questions about rock-bolting, access and safety and the consultation process.
