Skyline Enterprises is asking for sign-off from the Queenstown Lakes District Council to helicopter out about 300cu m of debris from Reavers Creek to prevent a repeat of a destructive landslip in 2023.
Skyline’s developments general manager Steve McLean said the consent application was part of the "final clean-up" of the slip in the Ben Lomond Reserve, triggered by heavy rain on September 22 of that year.
Skyline and two other companies are being prosecuted by the council under the Resource Management Act for activities that allegedly contributed to tonnes of mud and forestry slash spilling down the steep and rugged Reavers Creek catchment.
The landslip wreaked havoc in Reavers Lane and beyond, leading to the evacuation of dozens of homes and a brief state of emergency being declared.
The application said the company has already constructed two "debris flow barriers" to stop more material sliding into the creek bed.
Material from a slope between the upper barrier and the creek bed, and from the creek bed itself, would be removed with hand tools and placed into heavy duty bags. Mr McLean said skilled operators would hand-excavate any pockets of material they found as they moved down the slope in what he described as a "sweep and cleanup".
"The intent is to load the material into bags and manually move those bags from the area, but in the event that this becomes problematic, because of difficult terrain, then we need the option of a helicopter, if required."
To that end, the company was seeking permission to use an Airbus H125 ‘Squirrel’ chopper, operated by Heli Glenorchy, under a longline.
Any airlifted bags would be dropped at an existing log yard by the Skyline hill access road before being trucked away — the company estimates 30 hours’ flying time would be needed to complete the job.
Skyline and the other defendants are due to appear in Queenstown’s court next month.
