Most tourists okay with visitor levy

Tourists on Stewart Island say they are happy to pay a visitor levy as long as they know what the funds are being used for.

A submissions hearing was held on the island yesterday, the second day of a hearing to for the Southland District Council draft bylaw and policy, which includes a proposal to increase the levy from $5 to $15.

Tourists spoken to by The Southland Times said they supported a visitor levy. Some thought that $15 may be too much for a day visit and perhaps the fee could be increased during the length of a person’s stay.

Paul Hansel, from Germany, said he was not aware that he had paid a $5 levy to visit the island.

Hansel was visiting to walk the Rakiura Track. When asked what thought of an increase in the levy from $5 to $15, Hansel said he thought it was a fair price.

People would be accepting of the levy if they knew what their money was going towards, he said.

For Hansel, paying $10 more on what was $140 to travel to the island made little difference to him.

Scotsman Laurie Quibell, who had come from Queenstown, said he would be more understanding of paying a $15 levy if he knew what it was going towards.

The council heard 20 submissions yesterday, and it came under fire for how it manages funds generated by the visitor levy.

The sticking point for many of the island residents with the levy is the concept behind its creation, which is users pay. The majority of the submitters are against any increase to the visitor levy.

Jeff Bergman, who runs the Bay Motel with his wife, Rhonda, said the idea that the island needed more infrastructure was a fallacy to him.

People came to the island for the lack of infrastructure, Bergman said. He took issue with the fact that the council was looking at putting money towards the island wharves and jetties that visitors had little benefit from. ‘‘Whoever uses the wharves and profits out of the wharves should pay for the wharves. It should be continually paid for by people who use it.’’

Aaron Joy, who runs the Stewart Island Backpackers, agreed with Bergman about the wharves.

As Bergman understood it, the wharf users only paid about $1500 a year do so, and there were less than a dozen users. The council should charge a $2 for per person using wharves and the money go into the island’s jetty fund, Bergman said.

Councillor Bruce Ford asked Bergman if he would be ok with levy money being used to promote the island to encourage more tourists in off season.

Bergman said he was ok with the levy being used for promotion.

Councillor George Harpur asked Joy how many wharf users paid the $1500 figure he mentioned and Joy said he was unsure.

Submitter Manfred Herzhoff, who was present at the hearing, said about seven or eight.

Island resident Susan Ford said the purpose of the levy was not to cover council infrastructure projects it was to provide touristrelated infrastructure and resources. An example was the Rakiura Heritage Centre that was being built because it was more of a visitor drawcard than ratepayer asset, she said.

Island resident Sharon Pascoe said the first cruise ship of the season had visited Stewart Island but passengers never came ashore.

However, they did do a trip to Ulva Island, but because they did not come into Oban they did not pay the visitor levy, Pascoe said.

The majority of submitters are concerned that any levy increase may put off visitors coming to the island. The council is expected to make a final decision on the levy on December 18.

‘‘Whoever uses the wharves and profits out of the wharves should pay for the wharves.’’ Jeff Bergman