A decade-long agreement was signed off for a new company to operate Mount Ruapehu’s Tūroa skifield without an audited safety plan, and current policies prohibiting avalanche remediation works beyond a certain height limit.
The skifield,
The skifield operator has until October to get its safety plan audited. Photo / Sarah Ivey
A decade-long agreement was signed off for a new company to operate Mount Ruapehu’s Tūroa skifield without an audited safety plan, and current policies prohibiting avalanche remediation works beyond a certain height limit.
The skifield, on the southwestern side of the central North Island mountain, is being operated by the company Pure Tūroa for the first time this season.
A lengthy bidding process, in which companies and groups of people went head-to-head fighting for ownership, eventuated in a signed-off concession for its new operators.
The process has been anything but smooth. Ruapehu’s Whakapapa skifield, on the opposite side of the maunga (mountain), has proven even more contentious.
A decision is still yet to be made on who will operate that skifield with bids back on the table after being removed.
The battle over the future of the maunga began after Ruapehu Alpine Lifts was placed into liquidation, then receivership, following the Covid-19 pandemic and a number of poor ski seasons.
The 10-year concession was approved in April for the Tūroa skifield to come under new ownership for the upcoming ski season, which is under way now.
An Official Information Act response from Minister of Conservation Tama Potaka confirms the current concession for the Tūroa skifield “does not allow for either slope preparation or avalanche control outside of the ski area.
“I understand that at times it may be necessary for health and safety reasons for avalanche control to occur outside the concession boundary,” Potaka said in the OIA response, confirming there are options available under the National Parks Act and Conservation Act, which will be discussed with the skifield company.
“At this time, no additional measures have been authorised,” Potaka confirmed.
Pure Tūroa has until October 5 to provide certification that its safety plan has been signed off.
Questions to Potaka were directed to the Department of Conservation, the agency that approved the 10-year concession for Pure Tūroa to operate the skifield.
A prior Tongariro National Park management plan, released by the Department of Conservation, confirms the park has two zones deemed “pristine areas,” said in the document to be “managed in the purest sense”. Preservation is deemed a priority for park management in those zones.
This includes high alpine areas in the park and summit areas of Mount Ruapehu.
“For many tau iwi, the peaks of the mountains are revered and respected because of the spiritual values attached to them.
“Land management, either on the margins of the park or within the park, can seriously affect the values of these sites,” the prior plan reads, stating it is a policy to decline applications to increase existing ski area boundaries.
“Avalanche control is permitted outside of ski areas only if avalanche danger poses a direct threat to the safety of users.”
A safety brochure prepared by the Department of Conservation states elevations above 1700m are mainly deemed challenging or complex avalanche terrain, with increased hazards.
The summits of Ruapehu, which are under the “pristine area” category, have been labelled by DoC as having “complex” avalanche exposure - the highest on the scale.
The Tūroa safety overview, sent to the Department of Conservation, is yet to be audited. It was finalised on May 5, just less than a month after the concession was signed off, meaning the skifield was approved without an audited plan or initial overview.
The overview, also released in part under the OIA, states a safety report is created and disseminated to management and directors of Pure Tūroa for review.
Further details in the safety overview confirm tasks can vary from cleaning to “using explosives to mitigate avalanche risk”.
Department of Conservation regional operations director Damian Coutts said the Pure Tūroa concession clearly defines the ski area boundary, and all activity must be undertaken within these areas.
Coutts said the department understands the company has arranged for the safety plan to be audited by an external auditor approved by DoC “within the required timeframe”.
In a statement, a Pure Tūroa spokesperson said “Tūroa is audited annually, during ski season operation. We are compliant with all regulations required to operate a skifield”.
“Pure Tūroa works closely with DoC to ensure that all necessary works are permitted to be completed to safely operate the skifield. This includes some work out of the skifield boundary, with DoC’s approval,” the skifield operator said.
A chairlift on the skifield was damaged a number of years ago by an avalanche, while it was being operated by Ruapehu Alpine Lifts.
The Ruapehu ski fields have been facing tension and controversy for some time; the previous Government penned an apology letter to local iwi after revelations the engagement process was “flawed”. The current Government is considering a new marae and cultural hub near the maunga as a “reconciliation package”.
Hapū Patutokotoko’s position paper on the demise of Ruapehu Alpine Lifts, from last year, states “it is our position that owing to the skifields of Whakapapa and Tūroa being situated entirely within the original tuku or ‘gift’ area - rather than the arbitrarily defined Department of Conservation pristine area”.
The Tongariro National Park management plan describes the aforementioned pristine area as above 2300m, extending to 2325m on Tūroa.
Some locals are concerned at the skifield’s management plans under the concession, as it’s understood people can access out-of-zone areas via the current chairlifts, meaning they can ski or snowboard on aspects that do not have avalanche controls in place.
Patrolled ski areas, including Tūroa, are not included as an adventure activity under the Health and Safety at Work Act, though activities outside of patrolled areas are covered. The act states before providing or offering to provide adventure activities, a person must obtain a safety audit, and pass the audit.
Signs around the skifield warn people not to go outside the patrolled area.
Meanwhile, conversations between Government representatives and cultural leaders remain ongoing.
A 2024 estimates document, released under the Official Information Act from the Department of Conservation, confirms there are still “mixed views” from iwi and hapū about how the Tūroa concession gives effects to their interests.
Potaka confirmed he had a “good hui” with representatives last Friday “about a variety of issues regarding the maunga”.
Azaria Howell is a Wellington-based multimedia reporter with an eye across the region. She joined NZME in 2022 after multiple years as a student journalist. She has a keen interest in city council decisions, public sector reform, and transport.
'We need local people with the networks, knowledge and experience to help us.'