Many of the adventure tourism operators in Queenstown will not be covered by new Government tourism industry regulations announced earlier this week.
Adventure tourism companies monitored by Maritime New Zealand, the Department of Conservation and the Civil Aviation Authority will not be affected, or will be only partly affected, by the new health and safety requirements, which were announced on Wednesday.
The Otago Daily Times spoke to a cross-section of Queenstown operators, and few reported a direct change in their health and safety auditing processes.
The Department of Labour has estimated 1500 New Zealand companies will be affected by the regulations, and said companies could be fined up to $250,000 for providing activities involving "significant hazards", and instruction or leadership without a safety audit certificate.
NZSki chief executive James Coddington said the auditing process would not affect activities at NZSki's skifields as they operated at a significantly higher level of health and safety than other adventure tourism providers.
NZone Skydive managing director Lindsay Williams said operations should continue to be monitored by the Civil Aviation Authority, and his company would not be affected.
Companies which will be required to obtain a new safety audit certificate - costing $1300 to $2500 - say the only major difference for them will be a new Government-selected auditing body.
Vertigo Bikes owner Tim Ceci said the introduction of Government regulations for adventure tourism operators would serve to cement safety practices which were in place, as he had been self-auditing with Safety Audit New Zealand for many years.
That opinion was shared by the president of the New Zealand Professional Fishing Guides Association, Frank Murphy, who said the 200 members in the association had a bulk concession agreement with the Department of Conservation for more than 10 years, and his only concern would be a change in the auditing process.
"We have a public liability insurance policy and a safety plan with Doc, and they accepted our plan, so we can't see the need to do another one," Mr Murphy said.
Alpine Heliski operations manager Tim O'Leary said the CAA would continue to monitor passenger safety while in flight, but guides would be required to hold a safety audit certificate for ski operations, which was common practice anyway.
"Most heliski companies have a safety plan as they operate in parts of Doc land ... in addition some heliski companies, such as us, are Qualmarked as well," Mr O'Leary said.
The auditing process is expected to take place every three years, and regulations will not apply to organisations not charging fees, such as schools and voluntary clubs.
The scheme will be run by an organisation appointed by the Labour Department, which has budgeted about $1.2 million for a five-year period.
Whom will the regulations affect?
NEW SAFETY AUDIT NOT REQUIRED:
• NZSki - Operators of The Remarkables, Coronet Peak and Mt Hutt skifields.
"We are at a tertiary level for ACC, which is the highest level available, and certainly some of the operators this has been focused on aren't at that level ... That's probably why we weren't engaged in the process." - NZSki chief executive, James Coddington.
• Dart Stables Glenorchy - Horse-trekking company.
"The whole review is a good thing, but we are one step ahead, because we're on Doc land. Doc requires a health and safety plan as part of our concession. It is the basis of what we have been doing for years." - Director of Dart Stables Glenorchy, Peter Davies.
• GForce Paragliding
"We think it's great - it's great for operators and great for the industry. We have something that will supercede the auditing process through the CAA, but it's good to have a general document for the whole industry." - G-Force paragliding director, Guy Mcintyre.
• NZone Skydive
"We've had rules and procedures in place for 50 years. My understanding is the regulations are for other operators in the adventure tourism industry ... I'm quite confident they don't apply to us and we haven't been notified of any change." - NZone Skydive managing director, Lindsay Williams.
NEW AUDIT REQUIRED:
• A. J. Hackett Bungy
"The maturing of the sector [means] we need to get serious about demonstrating our safety [record].
"We could put our hands on our hips and say `We've been operating for 22 years' ... [but] we'll [do] anything that shows the safety systems we've got in place work." - Chief executive Michelle Trapski
• Vertigo Bikes
"It all seems like standard procedure; it's what I thought was going to happen ... We were self-auditing before the regulations and what you will find across Queenstown is most companies are above the standard anyway." - Vertigo Bikes owner, Tim Ceci
• Land-based fishing companies
President Frank Murphy, of the New Zealand Professional Fishing Guides Association (NZPFGA), said the 200 association members already prepare a health and safety plan for Doc as part of their bulk concession. He would prefer to keep using the same auditing process, but companies may be required to use a Government-backed organisation.
• Alpine Heliski
"We're not expecting a great deal of change. Most heli-ski companies have a safety plan as a lot of heli-ski companies already operate on areas of Doc land." - Alpine Heliski operations manager and lead guide, Tim O'Leary.
