Kett calls for over-65s to get free island ferry ride
An Invercargill City councillor is calling for free ferry rides to Stewart Island for SuperGold cardholders, but Southland leaders are warning it won’t be an easy task.
Councillor Peter Kett said the recent spotlight on the south as Prince Harry visited spurred him into action.
Free ferry rides would provide an incentive to attract more visitors to the region and the money which would have been spent on the ferry crossing would be spent elsewhere, he said.
‘‘Stewart Island has so much to offer and with what’s happening in Invercargill with the Bill Richardson Truck Museum and the proposed tuatarium . . . it just makes sense.’’
‘‘Most travellers bypass Invercargill but with this on offer they could afford to stay a night here.’’
The island received international exposure with Prince Harry’s visit; something that must be taken advantage of, he said.
Kett said he took his suggestion to Invercargill MP Sarah Dowie, who had promised to take the proposal to cabinet.
Dowie said she was more than happy to ‘‘have a quiet chat’’ with a few of her colleagues in parliament, but warned they would want more information.
‘‘There has not been a costanalysis done or figures of how many people [would] use the service.’’
She would not put a time-frame on when she would start ‘‘asking around the traps’’ because Parliament was heading into the Budget, she said. ‘‘People have great ideas every day, but there’s a limited pool of funds available.’’
Invercargill Mayor Tim Shadbolt said he had investigated the idea a couple of years ago. He had visited Fullers in Auckland, a ferry service which offered free rides to Waiheke Island.
‘‘It does seem the ferry owners would have to take a bit of a hit. It became a bit complicated [in Auckland],’’ he said.
But Shadbolt encouraged a renewed attempt for Stewart Island.
‘‘It would definitely benefit the region [but] it would come down Adult $130 return Child $65 return Children travel free on selected services during school holidays. Source: stewartislandexperience.co.nz to costs. I would certainly support it.’’
Venture Southland chief executive Paul Casson warned Real Journeys, which operates the ferry, was a commercial operator, not a public service. Travel discounts for SuperGold card-holders were often based on the use of public transport and offered during off-peak times, he said.
The ferry to Stewart Island was often full and any incentive offered needed to come from the operator, he said.
Casson thought it was a good concept but suggested it would be more realistic to seek a discount, rather than free rides. ‘‘I’m open to anything that will increase visitors to the region.’’