Southland District Council (Stewart Island/Rakiura) Empowering Bill 2010

The Southland District Council with the support of Eric Roy MP, being the Member of Parliament responsible for Stewart Island/Rakiura, is promoting legislation to enable a levy to be set and collected from visitors to Stewart Island/Rakiura. A copy of the proposed legislation is available below.

Read the Southland District Council (Stewart Island/Rakiura) Empowering Bill 2010

The legislation proposes a levy on visitors to Stewart Island/Rakiura for the purposes of meeting the costs attributable to visitors to the Island. As Stewart Island/Rakiura receives a high number of short term visitors (day visits) there is stress placed on the local infrastructure which is paid for by a very small rate base. Funding problems are exacerbated because major economic beneficiaries of visitors to Stewart Island/Rakiura are not within the boundaries of Southland District Council. The underlying problem is that local infrastructure and amenities are a common resource (public good) with few or no incentives on users or beneficiaries to provide or fund them. The proposed legislation therefore is designed to provide the most efficient and effective means of recovery whilst ensuring transparency and accountability for expenditure.

The legislation therefore will provide the Council with the power to make bylaws enabling the setting and collection of levies in respect to any person travelling to, or from, Stewart Island/Rakiura. With these funds then being used to ensure that the appropriate costs, infrastructure, amenities and services are met. To administer the levy, it is proposed by the Southland District Council to establish a subcommittee consisting of representatives from tourism industry, Community Board and District Council.

For additional information on the legislation you maybe interested to look at the:

1. Regulatory Impact Statement (RIS) - The RIS sets out the background to the proposed legislation, international comparisons, impact of the levy on Stewart Island and wider economy, costs and benefits of the legislation, alternative options, framework for analysis and why the preferred option is to proceed with legislation.

Stewart Island/Rakiura Visitor Levy - Regulatory Impact Statement

2. Report to Southland District Council - Stewart Island Visitor Levy - Report to Council considering issues arising from Visitors to Stewart Island, options for addressing those issues, the proposal for a levy on visitors to Stewart Island. Provides detailed information on proposed legislation, views of the community, costs and benefits, legal implications.

Report to Council 30 September - Stewart Island Visitor Levy