A zipline proposal to cash in on the scenic beauty of the Huka Falls has hit a major snag – the concerns of local iwi.

“Adverse cultural effects,” have been cited by the three hearing commissioners in declining a Sky Play Adventures Limited application for the adventure business that would have seen clients fly-by-wire five times over the Waikato River downstream of the falls.

Their 39-page decision highlighted a number of what they thought would be positive effects on the site, wider surroundings and Taupō District, but ultimately the report stated that those positives did not “outweigh or can be considered acceptable when considering the potential adverse cultural effects arising from the proposal”.

While there were a number of submitters in support at the hearings, the proposal also faced a wall of opposition from hapu who raised themes of mana whenua status, a lack of consultation, and inadequacies in the cultural assessment and adverse effects on cultural values of the awa, including broader issues of mauri.

As kaitiaki of the Waikato River, Ngā Hapū o te Hikuwai o Tuwharetoa have an intrinsic duty to ensure the mauri, and the physical and cultural health of the Waikato River – inclusive of whenua and water resources, are maintained, protected and enhanced, said the Tūwharetoa Maori Trust Board in its written submission.

It did not believe the applicant had meaningfully taken Te Hikuwai's mana whenua rights and interests into account, and the cultural assessment was incomplete and consultation inadequate.

That an assessment of the cultural values of the Waikato River would be “the most significant matter for the commissioners to consider and determine” had been signalled by independent planning consultant Todd Whittaker in his pre-hearing report for the commissioners.

He then bolstered this opinion with an extra report put together in the middle of the two-day hearing on September 30 and October 1.

In this, Whittaker expressed the view that he thought irreconcilable the disconnect between applicant and opposers on cultural impacts.

He supported the intent of additional material from the applicant to give Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Ngāti Tahu-Ngāti Whaoa (co-applicants to the venture) and Raukawa an opportunity to develop storyboards that would support the visitor experience and give recognition to cultural values, and for the applicant to fund monitoring of cultural values on a two-year basis.

But he also added “it is not clear to me that these measures will address or mitigate the adverse effects on cultural values and sites which have been identified by Ngāti Tūwharetoa”.

Though Sky Play Adventures applied in partnership with the Tauhara North No. 2 Trust, and was fully supported by the Ngati Tahu-Ngati Whaoa Runanga Trust, the trust’s submission that it was the iwi representing mana whenua for the area was contested by other iwi-based organisations.

“While we acknowledge the support of Ngāti Tahu – Ngāti Whaoa and their involvement in the proposal, this did not outweigh the significance of the cultural effects that Ngāti Tūwharetoa and Te Hikuwai would experience,” noted the commissioners in their decision.

They also remained concerned about uncertainty relating to access over Taupō District Council land and the potential effects and delivery of the ecological restoration works in conjunction with Ngāti Tūwharetoa.

Material provided by the applicants indicated environmental work would amount to nearly $3 million by the third year, though the phased roll out of restoration, planting and pest control was dependent on the enterprise’s profitability.

Economic benefits stemming from the project, acknowledged by the commissioners, included the promotion of local economy spending and approximately 35 new employment opportunities.

The proposal attracted 65 written submissions -53 in support, 3 neutral and 9 in opposition.

An appeal period of 15 working days was available to both submitters and applicant, said a Taupō District Council spokesperson on the release of the decision by RMA commissioners Gina Sweetman (chairperson), Kim Hardy and Brad Coombs.

Sky Play Adventures and the Tuwharetoa Māori Trust Board have been approached for comment.

Source: Stuff.co.nz