‘Don’t mess with the ski lanes’ appears to be the most common theme presented in public submissions made to the council’s draft Navigation Safety Bylaw 2025, currently under review.

The draft bylaw proposes the removal of half of Wānaka’s existing ski lanes, including all lanes in Roys Bay (Waterfall Creek and Eely Point included).

The council received 139 submissions on the draft bylaw; the majority were from the Upper Clutha, and well over 60 percent opposed the draft bylaw.

Of those, almost all were in opposition to the proposed removal of existing ski lanes which is the council's solution to “problematic” ski lane use (ski lanes are access lanes that enable powered vessels to legally exceed 5 knots within 200m of the shore for the purpose of towing skiers). 

Fewer than 20 percent supported the draft bylaw and the same number were neutral towards the draft’s proposals, but even some of them opposed the removal of ski lanes.

Water ski signage denotes the current ski lane in Roys Bay.

Most objections were on the basis that council had presented little evidence or data to support the lanes’ removal; that improved signage, education, monitoring and enforcement could resolve perceived issues with other water users, such as swimmers; and congestion in the remaining three lanes may increase risks, creating an unsafe environment.

One submitter said ski lanes were introduced decades ago and have contributed to a safer environment for all lake users.“Removal of ski lanes… will inevitably shift skiing to areas with no designation or regulatory oversight.”

Increasing the number of water skiers in limited areas, coupled with the rapidly growing popularity of towed inflatables, was inherently risky, submitters said.

“Confining these activities to a smaller space is more dangerous. This is so counter intuitive to safety as to be unbelievable”.

One of the remaining ski lanes is in Dublin Bay, known for its shallow, warm waters popular with swimmers and families. However, its shallowness makes it inaccessible for many vessels, including water skiers.

A review of the Queenstown Lakes District Council’s (QLDC) current Navigation Safety Bylaw 2018 is required before it expires in March 2025 and the replacement draft proposes a range of changes from the current bylaw to ensure navigation safety is achieved in the district.

Jumping from the Albert Town bridge is inherently risky.

In addition to the removal of ski lanes, the draft also tackles a variety of other key issues, including the navigation safety risk associated with recreational jumping from the Albert Town Bridge, vessel identification, the carriage of communication equipment and buoyancy devices.

The proposal for certain vessels to be identified on a register received considerable support but one submitter raised concerns about the potential conflict of local council registers and suggested a better option was for QLDC to work with other councils and central government to create a national register.

Similarly, the proposed requirement for lake and river users to carry two types of approved communication equipment when more than 50m from shore received support from many but not all. Paddle boarders, recreational rafters, kitesurfers and the like thought it was an overreach.

Some submitters also said it was inconsistent with Maritime New Zealand rules, as was the proposed restriction on the type of buoyancy device some water users were required to wear.

The question of how to reduce the risks for recreational jumpers off the Albert Town Bridge and other river users, particularly motorcraft, was also addressed and received mixed support.

It’s proposed to remove all water skiing from Roys Bay to make the lake safer for swimmers and other users.

The draft proposes restricting boats to pass under the bridge via specific bridge arches, “located away from the known jumping spot”, the council said; but not all submitters were convinced it would improve safety.

“...by forcing a skipper to travel through a specific passageway you are potentially creating risks when at certain times a different passageway could be much safer depending where other vessels/swimmers/kayaks etc are”, Jet Boat New Zealand said in its submission.

Southern Lakes Windriders Club said in its submission the draft bylaw’s five knot speed limit within 50m off shore didn’t consider “the nuances of operating a windpowered 'vessel' like wingfoiling, kitesurfing and windsurfing”

Launching from the shore, riders would need “to exceed a speed greater than five knots in order to operate our craft safely”, it said.

The few who supported the draft bylaw said the removal of the ski lanes would improve safety for swimmers. A couple of submitters even recommended the removal of all motorised vessels in Roys Bay, saying it was better for the environment and the reduced noise would be welcome.

Another wanted water skiing banned from Paddock Bay in favour of brown trout fishers.

The Hāwea Community Association said while it was “not entirely opposed to a ski lane at Lake Hāwea” it needs to be located with reasonable access from family vehicles and it should not encroach on swimming or kite surfer beaches.

The community “strongly” wanted to retain the swimming areas at Scott's Beach, John Creek and The Esplanade beaches, and to have the buoy lines indicating safe swimming extended at those beaches, it said.

 A hearing for the draft Navigation Safety Bylaw 2025 will be held at the Lake Wānaka Centre at 10am on Monday (November 25).

Following the hearing the full council will deliberate and the new bylaw will be adopted sometime between January and March next year.

PHOTOS: Wānaka App