An ambitious blueprint for the future of Milford Sound Piopiotahi has drawn a mixed response from tourism operators and politicians. 

The Milford Opportunities Project (MOP) unveiled its 70-page masterplan in Te Anau this morning. 

It aims to transform the way tourists move through the lower South Island, with plans for a park-and-ride from Te Anau into Milford, where there will be a new visitor centre, hotel and a gondola to Bowen Falls. 

Entry into the UNESCO World Heritage site in Fiordland would require a permit, which international visitors would have to pay for, but Kiwis would get for free. 

There'd be a check point about 15km in from the start of the National Park, at the start of the Eglinton Valley, and seven different stops along the Milford Road, featuring walks, accommodation and other experiences. 

Advertisement: WaterForce Southland

But, the project team, led by Dr Keith Turner, also wants the Milford Airport airstrip to be scrapped, cruise ships to be banned from the inner sound, and eventually for all road vehicles to be electric and/or hydrogen. 

And it's unclear whether the park-and-ride hub will cater to existing operators or bid to replace them.

The Queenstown Milford Users Group (QMUG), which represents six fixed wing operators who've spent millions over the years building their businesses, says they'll fight against the closure of the airstrip. 

QMUG chair James Stokes says for businesses operating out of Queenstown, Wanaka and Te Anau, the Milford Sound experiences make up more than 90% of their revenue. 

"To make this call is a kick in the guts after the most challenging 18-month period of our lives, Stokes says.

Advertisement: Ray White Real Estate

"We have invested in supporting the region and the people whose livelihoods depend on us.

"The rationale seems flawed. Why close the airport and cut out alternative modes of transport, when you are trying to reduce road traffic congestion?

"We also know from [Tourism] Minister Nash’s comments recently that he wants to promote value over volume. Our businesses provide this. We deal with high quality visitors and some don't want to spend a day going by road.

"We're very supportive pushing more business through Te Anau, that's great, but not everybody has the time to do that. Who is Dr Turner to say who should and shouldn't be allowed to go to Milford Sound?

Stokes says he can't see any logical reason to close the airstrip and believes MOP is embellishing the poor condition of the runway to serve its own ends. It's also going against its own public consultation, he says, which showed only 14% of respondents wanted the airstrip closed.  

Advertisement: Te Anau Plumbing

Stokes says fixed wing aircrafts have more capacity than helicopters in mass evacuations, such as after the Kaikoura earthquakes. During last February's Fiordland floods, there were only a few tourists in Milford as they had early warning about the weather, but Glenorchy Air ferried about 150 people from Te Anau back to Queenstown. 

Stokes says the group, which is proactively pursuing more sustainable aircraft options, will meet with MOP tomorrow to challenge the recommendation.

Dr Turner, speaking to media at the launch, said fixed wing operators can only land at Milford about 150 days a year due to the weather, and on other days fly over and land at Te Anau. 

"They've actually told us their passengers are blown away by the flight over the alps, more so than the landing at Milford," Dr Turner said. 

The cost of rehabilitating the airstrip and its vulnerability to high tides and earthquake-induced tsunamis were the main reasons for the suggested closure, he said. 

Advertisement: Kiwi Country

New Zealand Cruise Association chief executive Kevin O'Sullivan also plans to meet with Dr Turner. 

He said he only had brief summary of the plans today but highlighted the importance of Milford Sound for the industry. 

"It's already very heavily controlled through Environment Southland, so it comes as a bit of a shock to hear that there could be a ban," O'Sullivan said. 

"It will depend on the detail but Milford is a very important destination. 

"The word 'iconic' keeps coming up for Milford Sound and its true for cruise ships as well as other travellers. We'd be concerned what that would mean for cruise ships, as to whether they'd come to Fiordland at all."  

The Government welcomed what Tourism Minister Stuart Nash described as a "high-quality masterplan, underpinned by robust research", which ran to 1,600 pages of data.

"Tourism at Milford Sound Piopiotahi cannot return to its pre-COVID state," Nash said.

"Significant pressure from the 870,000 visitors in 2019 undermines cultural and environmental values and infrastructure. As a tourist experience, it was crowded, rushed, noisy and unsafe.

"The project is an excellent test case for a self-funded, sustainable tourism system paid for by visitors, with costs and negative impacts priced into the tourist experience rather than shouldered by New Zealand ratepayers and taxpayers."

Ministers will oversee the formation of an Establishment Board, which will have $15 million of Government cash at its disposal for planning. 

Advertisement: Alpine Centre Cafe & Bar

It will be chaired by Dr Turner and include two representatives from Ngāi Tahu, acknowledging the iwi's role as mana whenua and "its significant and enduring connection to Piopiotahi".

Southland's National Party MP Joseph Mooney, at this morning's launch, said his first impression was the plan had "exciting visionary ambition". 

"But some aspects are going to be really challenging, like Kiwis requiring a permit for what is a public road . . . and no longer having fixed wing aircraft into Milford," Mooney said. 

"That's really significant for businesses who are reliant on that and have built it up over many decades."

He questioned whether the existing 80 operators will still be able to take people into Milford, and highlighted the significant capital needed to change to an electric fleet. 

Advertisement: Fiordland Joinery

"The community needs to really be engaged in the discussion because there's significant changes proposed."

The push towards a carbon neutral Milford experience had many operators concerned. 

Dr Turner highlighted the region's ability to generate renewable energy, with space for more turbines at White Hill Wind Farm and moves to create a green hydrogen facility at Tiwai Point.

Both Transport Minister Michael Wood and Southland mayor Gary Tong saw potential in that. 

Tong said the comments he'd had from people were to "get on and get it done. Don't let it sit on the shelf", he said. 

Advertisement: Te Anau Club

"To control the traffic on that road is the number one for the residents of Te Anau, especially those that volunteer in the ambulance and fire, on the coal face of the accidents." 

Tong said a visitor centre and hub would be in the centre of Te Anau, so people can wander about the town. 

"There is land available around the town. It would be ridiculous to put it anywhere else than in the heart of Te Anau."

Fiordland Tours and Birchwood Cottage owner Ray Horrell, who runs day tours into Milford, agreed with Tong on the roads. 

"One thing they did get dead right is motorhomes and campervans . . . that is an absolutely excellent idea, but everything else I will reserve my decision on."

He said electrification was "mission impossible", especially due to the need for charging stations.  

"There's no way electricity is going to replace carbon emission vehicles at the moment. Look at the countries who've adopted it early, France has got paddocks full of e-cars and don't know what to do with them." 

Dr Turner said a major element of the plan was to spread the benefit of the attraction of Milford Sound across Southland, with Te Anau acting as a gateway to other "stunning nature experiences". 

And Te Anau operators and community leaders were optimistic about the plans. 

Long-time resident Clint Tauri, who owns several businesses including Te Anau Lakeview Kiwi Holiday Park & Motels and Fiordland Cruises, says: "The presentation was awesome ... we just don't want it to die now. 

"Something needed to be done and long term it'll be great." 

He'd hoped for something to give Te Anau a "kick-start" right now, and also questioned the how small operators would transition to expensive electric vehicles. 

Advertisement: Te Anau Paper Plus

"I just can't see us being able to afford it. You're talking $160k for a electric minivan, as opposed to $50k for a conventional." 

Sarah Greany, Te Anau community board chair and owner of Kiwi Country, believes it's a "bold and exciting plan". 

"The concepts they've presented are fantastic," Greany says. "For Te Anau to be identified as being key to the future of the whole Milford project is crucial. 

"The proof now will be in the execution, and there are some hurdles." 

Read the full masterplan here.