The wharf and ferry at Post Office Bay, Ulva Island. The island is about 3.5km long and lies within Stewart Island's Paterson Inlet. Photo: Supplied/ Andrew Rutherford CC BY-SA 4.0
Plans to replace an ageing wharf on Stewart Island have stalled due to uncertainty over the Department of Conservation's position, Southland District Council says.
Ulva Island is a pest-free island that sits within Stewart Island's Paterson Inlet. The wharf in Ulva's Post Office Cove was at the end of its life and a new site at Bathing Bay was chosen due to concerns about the existing location.
It would require a 350 to 400 metre track to link the new wharf to existing tracks.
But the Department of Conservation (DOC) said the ball was in the council's court and the department was waiting for more information, having last heard from them in May.
Southland District Council said it had the necessary letters of support and agreements in principle from the DOC and private landowners, including DOC agreeing to own and maintain the new track, before assessments started.
While DOC was always clear it would not fund the physical build, the department had agreed to contribute through design and building services, the council said.
But "there is now doubt whether DOC will take responsibility for the ongoing ownership of the track asset and its maintenance," it said.
"It is also unclear what the department's position is now on the resource consent process for construction of the wharf in Bathing Bay."
With rising cost estimates and uncertainties over the resource consent and the track, the council said it would decide on the project's future in September.
Key stakeholders, including the Stewart Island/Rakiura Community Board, tour operators and the island jetties committee, had been informed about the concerns.
Community Board chair Aaron Conner said plenty of visitors wanted to go to Ulva Island and they had been trying to get a suitable wharf for the island.
"We want to ensure the right thing is done, but this seems all too hard," Conner said.
"We can't incur an ongoing cost to the island community for maintenance of a track which also has a significant benefit for DOC and meets one of its aims, which is to connect people with nature.
"We have applied to the Stewart Island/Rakiura visitors' levy fund, to the Tourism Infrastructure Fund - hell, one board member even offered to run a fundraising drive.
"It seems just as we think we are moving ahead, we come to a big stop again.
Stewart Island/Rakiura ward councillor Jon Spraggon said he was disappointed and frustrated by the impasse.
"Staff and elected members have put a lot of work into this project, which has been going on for more than three years," Spraggon said.
"We have tried to be collaborative all the way and it just feels that there are continual barriers being put up."
DOC South Island southern operations director Aaron Fleming said conversations were ongoing and the department remained committed to engaging on the council's projects.
"DOC has always been clear we require more information before committing to anything beyond in-principle support for a replacement wharf," Fleming said.
The department had provided the information the council asked for to help with decision-making, he said.
"Currently, we are awaiting more information from the council, including a project plan, so we can provide more clarity going forward."
The department said it last heard from the council about the project in May, and it remained neutral on the project.
"DOC has always been clear about our funding constraints and the need for collaboration and careful planning."
No matter the result, he assured the public that access to Ulva Island would continue.