Pure Tūroa makes its pitch to take over Tūroa ski field

Thursday, 21 December 2023

Pure Tūroa wants to take over the concession for Mt Ruapehu’s Tūroa ski field and plans to invest $32 million over the next 10 years.

The company behind a bid to take over Tūroa ski field wants to invest more than $30 million into the site and reduce the size of its operation by removing outdated equipment and limiting visitor numbers.

Pure Tūroa (PTL) has formally applied for a concession to take over the running of Tūroa ski field on Mt Ruapehu for an initial period of 10 years, with a review after three years, and an option to extend the initial 10 years by a further 20 years.

In October last year, Ruapehu Alpine Lifts (RAL), which operated the Whakapapa and Tūroa skifields, went into voluntary administration carrying around $45 million in debt.

The Department of Conservation has started public consultation on Pure Tūroa’s plans to take over the Tūroa ski field.

Since then, RAL went into liquidation and was bailed out twice by the Government to allow it to operate over the ski season and for new bids to come in for the ski fields future management.

On Wednesday, the Department of Conservation (DOC) started public consultation on Pure Tūroa’s application, which ends on February 9, 2024.

At this stage, DOC has not received an application for concessions for the Whakapapa ski field, which will remain under the management of Ruapehu Alpine Lifts’ receivers.

Pure Tūroa wants to consolidate the number of ski lifts and chairs on the Tūroa ski field and build better snow making equipment to help mitigate the effects of climate change.

Pure Tūroa’s directors are Ohakune local Greg Hickman and Taupō businessman Cameron (Cam) Robertson.

In their application they state upgrades of existing infrastructure at Tūroa “will require investment in excess of $32 million during the next 10 years”.

Plans include the removal of the Ngā Wai Heke lift which has been deemed “not fit for use”, the installation of new snow making equipment to help mitigate the effects of climate change, the extension of the beginners ski area, the removal of the Park Lane and Giant chair lifts, a new “cultural experience building”, and the extension of the Alpine Cafe.

“PTL have planned future upgrades and removal proposals which result in a net decrease in the number of ski lifts and other structures,” the company said in its application.

“To further reduce environmental, cultural and visual impacts it is also proposed to remove ski lifts and provide upgrades within a more central corridor to the upper ski area.

“This will narrow the terrain affected by infrastructure especially on the more sensitive upper slopes.

“Despite climate change and challenges facing the rising snow levels, PTL will not seek any extension of ski lifts.

“Potentially in the future Tūroa Ski Area may open outside of the ski season,” they said in their application.

Hickman and Robertson said PTL was created out of a “genuine passion and concern for the future of Tūroa snow sports and the local economy’s reliance on the snow sport industry”.

They also want to limit the number of people on Tūroa ski field at one time from 5500 to 4500 skiers and/or sightseers which they said would lower impacts on roading, parking areas, pathways, and ski infrastructure loadings to “enable a higher value experience for the manuhiri (visitors)”.

They said PTL was committed to building a financially sustainable business that will help to ensure the Ruapehu region’s economic prosperity.

“PTL would like to work closely with iwi and aspire to develop Tūroa into an internationally significant cultural experience where iwi stories are told and visually weaved into the ski area.”

Pure Tūroa’s application is available on the DOC website, doc.govt.nz, for public review and submissions, with hearings set down for late February, 2024.