Public feedback sought
PUBLIC feedback is being sought on Milford and Fiordland as part of the Milford Opportunities Project.
The project was established to manage growing tourist numbers in Milford and aims to maintain a quality experience for visitors while also increasing revenue.
Present work included assessing infrastructure needs, developing estimates for parking and accommodation projects and preparing an investor prospectus.
The governance group includes representatives from the Fiordland tourism industry, Ngai Tahu, the Southland District and Queenstown Lakes District councils, the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment, the NZ Transport Agency and Department of Conservation.
Opus/Xyst project leader Michele Frey said the group had started researching what was known about Milford and the corridor, and looking at what else was needed.
They would work with agencies and stakeholders to gather relevant information, but wanted information from the wider public which could help inform the ‘‘full picture’’.
An online survey had been created and included questions about what issues or opportunities had been created by visitors and how Milford tourism could be managed in the future.
‘‘We want to develop a plan that will ensure the Milford experience is outstanding for years to come and continues to create benefit for Fiordland National Park, the southern regions and the whole of New Zealand. So using as many ways as possible to find out information is important,’’ Ms Frey said.
It would take about six months for Opus/Xyst to gather all of the information required, which would be reported to the governance group as it moved through the research.
Ultimately, the information would feed into an overall masterplan, which would create a framework for the future of Milford Sound and the access corridor to enhance it and the wider national park.
The survey, which closes on May 1, is available online at www.app.maptionnaire.com/en/4024.
Alternatively, people could send reports or data they had to MilfordOpportunities@southlanddc.govt.nz.