Park plan still under scrutiny

Waimarino Bulletin, Volume 6, Issue 271, 24 January 1989, Page 3

Park plan still under scrutiny

Tongariro National Park's long awaited new management plan is still under scrutiny.

The plan, which was Tirst due out in the middle of last year, is now in the hands of the National Parks and Reserves Authority for consideration. Tongariro District Conservator Paul Green told the Bulletin that there were "one or two issues" covered by the

plan that the authority were not happy with. He said the delay should not be affecting anyone greatly and that the policy content of the plan is not substantially different from that set out in the draft plan, which has been made public.

Mr Green said in the past the authority has been known to go back to the public for further submissions on some issues concerned with particular park management plans. Ski field planning Tongariro National Park's two ski fields, which are affected by the plan, would not be greatly affected by the

delay in releasing the plan, said Mr Green. "It's not as if they're working without any ski field management plan," said the conservator. He said Turoa's plan was last updated in 1985 and that the ski field operators did not have any developments planned for this summer which might be affected by the new plan.

Whakapapa Ski Field has modified its development timetable because of the delay in the release of the plan, said Mr Green. He said while the Whakapapa operators had plans to build lifts that were reliant on changes to the management plan, they could still work on their development programme. He said they had changed the priority of lifts being built to suit the present plan. Whakapapa has plans to build lifts into an area outside its present boundary, which rely on changes to its boundaries. The operators have asked for these changes as part of the management plan review.