Harbourmaster role may be relinquished

LAKE Dunstan harbourmaster responsibilities are likely to be relinquished to the Otago Regional Council.

The district council has had jurisdiction over Lake Dunstan and parts of the Kawarau and Clutha Rivers since an agreement in 2006.

Regional council harbourmaster Steve Rushbrook said it still needed to work through the process, and a report would be presented to council.

Central Otago hires an education and enforcement officer over the summer, who fulfils many of the harbourmaster roles.

Central Otago Mayor Tim Cadogan said delegating authority back to the regional council would provide consistency across the region.

Councillors would ensure they had a good relationship with whoever was stationed there, he said.

‘‘We’ll deal with any problems if and when they come along.’’

A report to the district council said the regional council now had a ‘‘functioning harbourmaster’s department’’, which it did not for many years.

The report said the main risk was not having a harbourmaster available when necessary to ‘‘educate, enforce and assist’’ its community regarding waterways safety.

At a regional council regulatory committee yesterday regulatory general manager Richard Saunders said the district council requested the work be done before the summer period. However, there was ‘‘a lot to go through’’.

Mr Rushbrook was discussing with staff about how it could support the council in the interim, he said.

Cr Ella Lawton said she ‘‘highly recommended’’ the QueenstownLakes District Council (QLDC) follow suit with its lakes and rivers.

Former regulatory general manager Peter Winder said the regional council might want to decide whether it should initiate that process.

‘‘Given a change in approach in respect to CODC, a more coordinated approach across the whole of Central Otago may be warranted.’’

It would be a matter for the incoming council after October, as assuming the QueenstownLakes District Council’s harbourmaster responsibilities would be a ‘‘substantial undertaking’’.

A QLDC spokesman said it had not considered relinquishing its harbourmaster duties to the regional council and would not answer questions about the merits of the idea.