Project back on track with new appointment
A major project to manage tourist numbers in Milford Sound will now get back on track after a year with the appointment of new director Chris Goddard.
Yesterday, Goddard was announced as the director of the Milford Opportunities Project, leading a team of specialists to carry out stage three of the Milford Opportunities master plan.
The project began in 2017 in response to concerns by the Southland District Council and the Department of Conservation about the rapidly growing amount of visitors in Milford Sound.
The master plan for the project was released in Te Anau in July of last year, and included the introduction of zero emissions coachbased transport between Te Anau and Milford, charging international visitors an access fee, the removal of the airstrip and banning cruise ships from the Sound.
Goddard said he hoped his involvement in the project would leave a lasting legacy.
‘‘I usually think of it this way ... once or twice in your working career you get a chance to do work that leaves a legacy,’’ he said.
‘‘This role enables me to be part of a project that will be nationally and internationally important. It is going to be challenging and a lot of hard work, and I am looking forward to getting going.’’
Goddard has a unique background, born in Palmerston North, he previously worked with mining group Rio Tinto in Australia before moving to Tarras, Central Otago, in 2020 to run a consultancy business with his wife Donna.
He is chairman of Sustainable Tarras, a group opposed to Christchurch International Airport Ltd’s construction of an airport on 750 hectares of farmland near Tarras, which the company purchased in 2020.
Goddard believed his experience with the Tarras would add a rural perspective to the project, while his work in the mining field would aid him in formulating a strong and diverse team to tackle the business consultancy phase of the master plan.
Goddard’s work plan for the next two years is separated into two ‘‘horizons’’ – the first will be ‘‘listening, understanding and testing’’ key aspects of the master plan, and the second would be the formation of a ‘‘really robust business case’’ to be presented to the Government.
He expected both to be completed by late next year or early 2024.
Goddard was aware of tourism operators’ resistance to the closure of Milford Sound airstrip and the banning of cruise ships in the Sound, but pointed out these were just two of the 10 elements outlined in the master plan.
He had not met with aviation and cruise ship representatives yet, but was looking forward to ‘‘listening and understanding’’ their perspectives and ideas.
‘‘This is why I need to fill a diverse team, so we can get a really diverse understanding ... some of these operators may have ideas we hadn’t even thought of . . . we really do need to listen and understand,’’ he said.