The Southern Hemisphere Proving Ground (SHPG) is in hibernation as the company waits for government agencies to approve applications to bring products and people through the border into New Zealand.

Wanaka’s snow season is now underway, with ski fields opening to domestic customers last week.

The COVID-19 pandemic and resulting border closures mean the region’s snow industries face a very different operating environment this year, without the usual influx of international visitors and associated events.

Normally, the SHPG on the Pisa Range would be in full swing, with up to 100 seasonal staff preparing snow and ice fields so that international clients can test their latest automotive products, components and tyres. 

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SHPG chief financial officer Murray Chamberlain confirmed some staff members were on deck to maintain the facility and the Snow Farm access road so work could resume as soon as clients were allowed into New Zealand.

“We are ready for business. We were hoping to open this season and that our customers can get through the border. It really is a case of our client’s employees being able to get in,’’ Murray said.

The SHPG was “certainly making a case’’ to government agencies such as New Zealand Trade and Enterprise and the Ministry of Transport to get clients into the county.

Staff at those agencies “know and understand the situation we are in and are being very helpful. We just have to see how that translates as the applications develop. We understand we are not the only ones with applications on their desk,’’ Murray said.

He said the proving ground’s clients were “waiting to go’’ as soon as the applications could be processed, but he agreed time was of the essence and the applications needed to be processed before the spring.

“The snow is sufficient. We can manage the operational aspects and do have staff up there keeping things ticking over. We have not employed seasonal staff yet.’’

Murray said the proving group clients should be able to swing into action as soon as the approvals came through.

“They know the drill and have their own systems in place. They know the logistics of coming to New Zealand,’’ he said.

The number of people in the client teams was not known.

“But it is a lot. In an ordinary year, it is a lot of bed nights and car rentals and money going into business in general in the community,’’ Murray said.

The proving ground’s income had been affected, so the company had been able to get the government’s COVID-19 wage subsidies for staff “where we can meet the obligations of the scheme,” Murray said.

He agreed that until border restrictions were lifted the company had no options but to tough it out.

PHOTO: SHPG