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The installation of a new six-seater chairlift for Mt Ruapehu's Whakapapa skifield has been delayed by the concerns of local Maori.
Ruapehu Alpine Lifts (RAL), operator of Whakapapa and Turoa ski areas, had hoped to install the new lift next summer but a longer than expected consent procedure will delay it.
Central North Island tribe Ngati Tuwharetoa gifted 79,500ha of the mountain to the Crown in 1887, creating the country's first national park.
Last year, the tribe indicated it wanted a greater role in managing Tongariro National Park, which it believed was suffering from overuse and desecration.
Ngati Tuwharetoa recently made RAL aware that it had concerns about further development on the mountain which would encroach into the "gift area", which included terrain on which the planned Valley Express chairlift was to be constructed.
The company had decided extra time was needed to consult further with various affected parties, including Ngati Tuwharetoa, said RAL chairman David Pilkington.
It would not now be possible to construct the chairlift in time for the 2008 season, he said.
"Objections during the consent process are quite normal and have always been settled amicably between RAL and any affected party.
"RAL has very strong relationships with local iwi, but the issues raised by Ngati Tuwharetoa are complex and it will take some time to attempt to resolve these."
The six-seater Valley Express would run over 1.05km of the mountain and would transport 3200 people an hour at a top speed of 5m a second.
Despite the delay in construction, RAL was still committed to the ongoing development of on-mountain facilities, said RAL general manager Dave Mazey.
- NZPA
