All eyes will be on Stewart Island/Rakiura over the coming year as it grapples with how much to charge tourists and how to spend it.

The island's visitor levy has been set a $5 per person since it was established back in 2013.

But Southland District Council now wants community and tourism industry feedback on a potential hike.

Charging international tourists for the impact they have on New Zealand, rather than placing the burden on ratepayers, has come to be seen as the way forward for smaller communities in recent years.

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First Queenstown Lakes proposed its own visitor levy, then earlier this year Tourism Minister Stuart Nash made it clear the "true cost of tourism" needs to be priced into the international visitor experience.

Great Barrier Island's local board is exploring introducing a $5 levy modelled on Stewart Island and, late last month, the Milford Opportunities Project proposed that international tourists should be made to buy a permit to access parts of Fiordland National Park beyond Eglinton flats.

The island's visitor levy is paid by New Zealanders as well as foreigners, everyone except island residents, ratepayers and children.

But the outcome of the review will still draw attention, as New Zealand reshapes its tourism industry post-Covid.

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Stewart Island/Rakiura Community Board chair Jon Spraggon says members will meet post-lockdown to discuss potential changes to the levy and the bylaw that governs it.

"We have some concerns about it," Spraggon says.

"We're not happy about the way it is being allocated at the present time, there are some problems with it.

"I don't want to say much more until we've met to make a policy on it.

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"But it's been a brilliant thing for the island, without any doubt at all."

Revenue generated from the levy is allocated by a subcommittee of Southland District Council (SDC).

It generally raises about $160,000 a year, including income from the cruise ships which have been absent from its waters since Covid hit.

That's significantly less than what needs to be spent on Stewart Island/Rakiura on projects that provide benefits to visitors or mitigate their impact.

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In 2018, the council announced plans to raise the levy to $15, but it was put on hold after push-back from some in the tourism industry, fearful that the hike could turn people away.

Councillors instead agreed to a strategic review of the services it provides to the island.

Now that review is complete, so SDC is asking for feedback on the levy and bylaw.

A survey is available online at www.makeitstick.nz and, subject to Covid-19 alert levels. Council staff are planning drop-in sessions in Oban and Invercargill this month. 

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SDC senior policy analyst Carrie Williams says: "At this stage we are seeking community views on the levy, whether it should be increased and if so, by how much. We also welcome any input on the other aspects of the bylaw and policy."

Formal consultation would begin in 2022.

Even with the absence of international tourist, the island has, anecdotally, had an extremely busy 12 months, with domestic tourists keen to visit.

Since the proposed levy increase was shelved, the island has also become a Dark Sky Sanctuary, accredited by the International Dark Sky Association in January 2019.