Arthur’s Pass plans soon

Press, 14 June 1978, Page 7

Arthur’s Pass plans soon

. Tl ) e hur ' s Pass National Park Board’s management plan for the park should be completed in draft form by the end of August, the board was ,4 planning officer (Mr J. Edmonds) at its annual meeting. Jb® board’s chairman (Mr E. J. Davies) said in his annual report that progress on the plan had been hindered because the former planning officer had been transferred and six months had elapsed before Mr Edmonds was appointed. The original target for completion was the end of last year.

Mr Davies said that the plan should be completed and approved by the National Parks Authority by the end of this year. The board would then seek public comment and modify the plan where required.

In a letter to the board, the authority made it clear that public comment should come after the authority has approved the draft plan, rather than before it was submitted to the authority.

Mr Davies also reported

that there was an estimated 18,306 visitors to the park headquarters in the year, a drop of almost 5000 on last year. The board had removed first-aid cabinets from board huts because most of the supplies in the cabinets had been removed by hut users “wishing to build up their personal first-aid kits.” The board had a small operating profit of $16,205 for the year. The treasurer (Miss J. McDermott) told the board that this had accrued mainly because f difficulties in obtaining staff, and obtaining staff, and obtaining labour subsidised by the Government under its employment creation scheme. The main sources of income were a $54,000 grant from the Government for operating costs, $10,385 from rentals to the public and staff, and $1596 from hut and lodge fees. The total income was $70,706. Expenditure amounted to $46,579, plus $7921 which went in depreciation or was written off. It cost more than $6OOO to run the board’s six motor-ve-hicles.