Speech: Aviation Industry Association conference
6 July 2011
Thank you, Irene, for the invitation to attend and speak at your Association’s annual conference today.
I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the continuing support that the Department of Conservation receives from your Association and its members. This support is essential for a large amount of the Department’s operational work - be it search and rescue, hut provisioning, pest control or community conservation projects.
We are very fortunate in New Zealand to have such a strong aviation industry which contributes in a very significant manner to our economy.
A personal thanks to those people here today for delivering me safely to the various special conservation places I have visited over the last 19 months since becoming the Minister of Conservation.
Thanks to you, Irene, for bringing to my attention issues of concern from time to time - I have appreciated our regular contact.
I am impressed by the advancements in the aviation industry in terms of modern technology and your willingness to move with the times. New aircraft are increasingly quiet and efficient. I believe we need to work harder to recognise and encourage this technology as well as improve the ways we operate, which can mean wins for everyone.
You will be aware of the dynamics relating to our fantastic conservation estates and the role of aircraft. Walkers and trampers want tranquillity. Tourists enjoy scenic flights. It’s a matter of finding the right balance so one group isn’t disadvantaged over another.
Bearing this in mind, it is appropriate and entirely fitting that I announce at your conference the results of my review of the allocation of aircraft landings at Milford Aerodrome.
I have decided to proceed with the allocation process. This will ensure DOC can consider issuing concessions to land at Milford Sound to all parties that have applied.
This decision has not been taken lightly and did take time to work through, but ultimately it came down to simple commonsense.
Aircraft landings at Milford Sound need to be managed to bring them into alignment with overall management of FiordlandNational Park.
Milford Sound is a jewel in the crown of New Zealand’s tourism industry. A jewel that needs to be both protected from the erosive forces of disturbance of the visitor’s experience by things such as aircraft noise, but also a jewel that should be shown off and enjoyed by New Zealand and overseas visitors alike. Appropriately managed aircraft activity can help contribute to this access and enjoyment.
The Fiordland National Park Management Plan 2007 reinforced the requirement for a concession for aircraft to land at Milford Aerodrome to make this activity lawful and consistent with the Conservation Act. This decision will bring all operators into the concession framework and will allow DOC to work with them to reduce effects associated with landings at Milford Aerodrome.
DOC had previously initiated an allocation process in consultation with the Queenstown Milford Aviation User Group. It was intended that the total number of allowable landings would be capped at the number recorded at Milford Aerodrome for the year starting 1 April 2004, as set in the Fiordland National Park Management Plan 2007.
At that time the Department was concerned about the potential for overall effects associated with aircraft landings at Milford Aerodrome. The initial recommendations of this process would have meant that 13 of the operators that had applied would miss out, putting their businesses in jeopardy. Basically there were about 12,000 landing applications but only 9000 allocated.
As a response to stakeholder concerns, and with due respect to the process my department had run, I made the difficult decision to undertake a reconsideration of the allocation process. I needed to be sure that the right decision was being made on behalf of New Zealand as a whole.
I don’t need to tell you that the situation in New Zealand has changed since 2004. Our economy, along with the global economy, has been severely depressed. This has had significant impacts on the tourism industry.
Consequent to this the amount of aircraft activity at Milford Sound has reduced to its lowest level in 15 years. Current landings are 25% lower than the cap in the park management plan. The number of recorded landings has not hit 9000 since 2001.
In addition, the industry - represented by both Queenstown Milford Aviation User Group (QMUG) and Tourism Industry Association (TIA) – have been able to satisfy me that there are a range of measures that can help reduce the adverse effects of aircraft activity in Milford. At the moment there are no incentives to address noise control and it’s important this is addressed.
The limit under consideration was deemed appropriate because it was assumed that tourism activity at Milford would continue to increase at an exponential level.
Tourism will bounce back to its previous level and hopefully grow beyond that. We want more tourists coming here and getting out into our country. We want them raving about the beauty of Milford Sound. The more the better.
But when it comes to tourism numbers, any growth in the amount of visitors wanting to get into Milford doesn’t necessarily mean it will be accompanied by an excessive increase in air traffic.
This is unlikely for one major reason – the weather. It rains a lot in Fiordland. It is also frequently misty, meaning visibility is poor and aircraft simply can’t operate in those conditions. The weather is the natural cap.
Flights into Milford Aerodrome can only be carried out for 200 to 250 days of the year. It will vary from year to year, as is the nature of weather patterns, but the practical effect is that there is already a limit to how much aircraft activity can occur in Milford.
I know this decision can be viewed as going against the Fiordland National Park Management Plan 2007. However, it does not set a precedent.I am comfortable that, in reaching this decision, I have weighed up all the considerations involved in establishing the limit in the Plan.
There are obviously a number of different stakeholders with an interest in this issue. The aviation and tourism industries need certainty over the long-term in order to invest in jobs and technology. This must be balanced with the desire to ensure noise pollution doesn’t ruin the experience of trampers out enjoying this magical place.
I absolutely agree with the likes of Federated Mountain Clubs and theSouthland Conservation Board that we need to manage the impacts of aircraft. Trampers head out into the wilderness to enjoy nature and the sounds of the bush.
If they were to instead be bombarded by the sounds of droning engines all day, it could detract from what is renowned as a memorable experience. But I have no reason to believe this is a significant problem in Milford.
Rather than rely solely on an arbitrary cap, my Department will be working with the industry on means to mitigate the impacts of their activity in Milford.
This Association runs an AIRCARE accreditation programme, which now includes a code of practice for noise abatement. Following an approach from the AIA, DOC has agreed to endorse this code.
Together with fly neighbourly training courses and the use of noise abatement procedures, this code provides the basis for lowering the noise generated by aircraft in day to day operations. It comprises one element of an environmental management system within the AIRCARE accreditation programme, which was launched on 10 May this year.
Operators at Milford will be encouraged to form a single entity to develop of a code of management to ensure all practicable steps are taken to reduce the effects of aircraft movements in line with the objectives of the Fiordland National Park Management Plan 2007.
Youare already working with my Department around how the industry’s adoption of the Code may be recognised through the Department’s planning and operational activities.
Collaboration between your industry and DOC is important and I thank you for being so proactive on this issue.
As of now, the allocation process willrecommence.
Those who applied for landings will have their concession applications reactivated.
Each application will proceed on the basis of the number of landings applied for, subject only to each applicant having met the minimum tests set out in Part 3B of the Conservation Act 1987.
I’m going to askDOC to report back to me within one year of the final concession being granted. By that time, I would expectto see DOC and all the applicants ably demonstratehow they have worked in combination to reduce effects at Milford in line with the provisions of the management plan.
This matter has been complex but I am satisfied thatthe decision to proceed with such an allocation system is the right one.
The local tourism and aviation industries need the certainty to plan long-term. Working alongside them to mitigate their impacts is my primary focus. We all want the same thing – to have people raving about this country.
We want to preserve what Milford has to offer as one of our most pristine and popular tourism destinations. We can continue to achieve this together.
The substantive contribution that the aviation industry makes to New Zealand’s economy particularly in a tourism sense needs to be acknowledged. Commercial based recreation is also becoming an increasingly important means for New Zealanders to enjoy the outdoors in ways they may not otherwise be able to do so. The aircraft industry can play an important role in increasing participation.
As I mentioned earlier, DOC has worked closely with the aviation industry on the development of an environmental code of practice for your industry. I must commend the industry for its proactive and responsible approach to managing the noise and environmental impacts of its operations.
This code will provide an invaluable platform for industry and community discussions as the Department moves forward with its 10 year statutory planning process. I hope that other industries take note and follow your lead.
On a final note, I would like to acknowledge those members of the aviation industry who are actively involved in conservation projects through out the country. Maintaining our clean green environment is vital for our future wellbeing. We all have an important and unique role to play in retaining New Zealand as the best country in the world.
Thank you.