KEY POINTS:
Tourism operators may have to foot the bill to clear a huge unstable slip above Otago's Shotover River, as neither council involved wants to take action.
The slip, about 2km upstream from the Edith Cavell Bridge, has closed a section of the river to the public and forced the suspension of commercial rafting trips for more than a week.
The slip continues to steadily collapse, but most of the unstable rock, possibly as much as 100,000 cubic metres, remains balanced precariously above the river.
Queenstown Lakes District Council and the Otago Regional Council have monitored the slip for the past week but neither will act to dislodge the threatening debris.
Queenstown Lakes District council emergency manager Brenden Winder said he would meet affected operators on Friday, but operators would have to bring down the slip.
Intervention could involve either explosives or a monsoon bucket.
"The commercial entities will have to investigate that," he told the Southland Times.
"We won't be throwing bombs at it."
Otago Regional Council director of natural hazards, Gavin Palmer, said because intervention could have undesirable effects, such as blocking the river, it needed to be very carefully assessed.
"You can't put a time frame on how long that will take," he said.
Mark Quickfall, of Totally Tourism, whose Shotover rafting and helicopter operations have been suspended, said he would consider helping pay for intervention as people's commercial welfare was at stake.
"We don't want to be sitting here next summer, put it that way," he said.
- NZPA
