1 00:00:00,760 --> 00:00:03,160 Speaker 1: Here the duples two ninety two is the text number. 2 00:00:03,160 --> 00:00:06,280 Speaker 1: Standard text fees apply. Now the government is protecting the 3 00:00:06,280 --> 00:00:08,520 Speaker 1: crown jewel of the tourism industry. This is, of course, 4 00:00:08,560 --> 00:00:12,079 Speaker 1: Milford Sound. Tourism Minister Louise Upston today announced that the 5 00:00:12,119 --> 00:00:15,760 Speaker 1: government has rejected plans to ban cruise ships in Milford Sound. 6 00:00:15,840 --> 00:00:19,480 Speaker 1: It will instead invest fifteen million dollars into infrastructure. Rob 7 00:00:19,520 --> 00:00:21,520 Speaker 1: Scott is the Mayor of Southland and with us. 8 00:00:21,560 --> 00:00:23,720 Speaker 2: Now, hey Rob, good thing here? 9 00:00:24,120 --> 00:00:25,400 Speaker 1: I'm well, thank you. Do you like this? 10 00:00:26,440 --> 00:00:29,120 Speaker 2: Oh? I do like this? Yeah. I think it's important 11 00:00:29,160 --> 00:00:32,680 Speaker 2: that the government's recognized the value of You mentioned it 12 00:00:33,240 --> 00:00:34,479 Speaker 2: one of the crown jewels. I've got a few of 13 00:00:34,520 --> 00:00:37,600 Speaker 2: the crown jewels for tourism in Southland, but Milford Sound 14 00:00:37,640 --> 00:00:38,360 Speaker 2: is certainly one of them. 15 00:00:38,920 --> 00:00:41,040 Speaker 1: Do you think that this will mean the cruise ship 16 00:00:41,080 --> 00:00:44,159 Speaker 1: companies will start booking trips back to New Zealand. 17 00:00:43,800 --> 00:00:48,600 Speaker 2: Now, I guess so. To be honest, I haven't. Actually 18 00:00:48,760 --> 00:00:52,080 Speaker 2: I've been up on West Home today looking at wild 19 00:00:52,120 --> 00:00:54,040 Speaker 2: and pines, so I've just come up and I've been 20 00:00:54,080 --> 00:00:56,840 Speaker 2: quite remote, so I've only just started finding out about 21 00:00:56,840 --> 00:00:59,520 Speaker 2: the announcement myself. So I'm still getting my head around 22 00:00:59,520 --> 00:01:01,040 Speaker 2: there and are details of it. 23 00:01:01,240 --> 00:01:03,800 Speaker 1: Rob, do you accept because a couple of weeks ago 24 00:01:03,880 --> 00:01:05,399 Speaker 1: on the show, we were talking about the fact that 25 00:01:05,520 --> 00:01:07,600 Speaker 1: cruise ships are not coming to New Zealand, and part 26 00:01:07,600 --> 00:01:09,280 Speaker 1: of the reason they're not coming to New Zealand is 27 00:01:09,319 --> 00:01:11,280 Speaker 1: because they weren't sure about what was going to happen 28 00:01:11,640 --> 00:01:14,560 Speaker 1: in Milton Sound. But now that they are sure they're 29 00:01:14,600 --> 00:01:16,800 Speaker 1: able to come, surely it then follows that they will 30 00:01:16,840 --> 00:01:18,280 Speaker 1: start booking the trips back, weren't they. 31 00:01:18,560 --> 00:01:20,920 Speaker 2: Yeah, certain certainty as a key and all of that, 32 00:01:21,000 --> 00:01:23,600 Speaker 2: especially when when they're at the advertising say, I mean 33 00:01:23,720 --> 00:01:26,440 Speaker 2: will have we noticed the same with tuy As soon 34 00:01:26,480 --> 00:01:29,080 Speaker 2: as you get that certainty and that gives their confidence 35 00:01:29,319 --> 00:01:32,840 Speaker 2: in the sector to start doing things. So yeah, I 36 00:01:32,840 --> 00:01:33,640 Speaker 2: mean there's always the. 37 00:01:33,640 --> 00:01:36,080 Speaker 1: Risk Rob, that we're out of sight, out of mind 38 00:01:36,120 --> 00:01:37,920 Speaker 1: now right now that they don't come here anymore, they're 39 00:01:37,920 --> 00:01:40,000 Speaker 1: just not going to come here anymore. Is that a risk? 40 00:01:40,760 --> 00:01:44,000 Speaker 2: No, I don't think so. I think New Zealand in particular, 41 00:01:44,000 --> 00:01:45,360 Speaker 2: I think is on the backup list of a lot 42 00:01:45,360 --> 00:01:49,280 Speaker 2: of tourists around the world, and we've got a pretty 43 00:01:49,280 --> 00:01:53,040 Speaker 2: special product down here and sometimes when it's hard to 44 00:01:53,080 --> 00:01:56,840 Speaker 2: access it might actually make it more attractive. So I think, yeah, 45 00:01:57,200 --> 00:01:58,960 Speaker 2: I don't think we're going to be forgotten about because 46 00:01:59,080 --> 00:02:01,000 Speaker 2: we've actually got something special down here. 47 00:02:01,200 --> 00:02:04,760 Speaker 1: How do the locals feel about it, because at the 48 00:02:04,800 --> 00:02:06,560 Speaker 1: time that I mean, it sounded to me like the 49 00:02:06,600 --> 00:02:08,720 Speaker 1: locals actually might have liked the cruise ships to be banned. 50 00:02:10,000 --> 00:02:13,640 Speaker 2: Yeah, there's mixed views, and I think it's important whatever 51 00:02:13,680 --> 00:02:16,919 Speaker 2: we do around Milford as a country, we don't throw 52 00:02:16,919 --> 00:02:18,560 Speaker 2: the baby out with the bath order and we look 53 00:02:18,600 --> 00:02:21,560 Speaker 2: after the experience that everyone's actually coming to see. So 54 00:02:22,320 --> 00:02:24,360 Speaker 2: and part of that is ensuring that. I mean, if 55 00:02:24,360 --> 00:02:26,239 Speaker 2: you put a whole lot of cruise ships and they're 56 00:02:26,240 --> 00:02:29,160 Speaker 2: blocking the view of Mighty Peak, then no one gets 57 00:02:29,200 --> 00:02:31,440 Speaker 2: to actually have the experience. So it's about how well 58 00:02:31,440 --> 00:02:33,160 Speaker 2: it's managed. And I think part of what that Melford 59 00:02:33,160 --> 00:02:35,840 Speaker 2: Opportunities project was designed to do was there and it 60 00:02:35,880 --> 00:02:39,079 Speaker 2: was quite ambitious, and I don't think a lot of 61 00:02:39,120 --> 00:02:41,520 Speaker 2: what was raised in that project has been addressed. But 62 00:02:42,520 --> 00:02:46,400 Speaker 2: the key part of it all is ensuring that anyone 63 00:02:46,400 --> 00:02:49,520 Speaker 2: that goes there gets a good experience and managing that 64 00:02:49,639 --> 00:02:52,800 Speaker 2: and cruise ships can be a part of that, both 65 00:02:52,840 --> 00:02:55,120 Speaker 2: rightly and wrongly. So I think it's just a case 66 00:02:55,160 --> 00:02:56,440 Speaker 2: of managing it properly. 67 00:02:56,600 --> 00:02:58,000 Speaker 1: Robinson, what are you going to do with the fifteen 68 00:02:58,000 --> 00:02:59,279 Speaker 1: million bucks for infrastructure? 69 00:03:00,800 --> 00:03:03,520 Speaker 2: Yeah, I don't know too many of the details on 70 00:03:03,560 --> 00:03:05,840 Speaker 2: where that is, but it's going to go a reasonable 71 00:03:05,880 --> 00:03:08,160 Speaker 2: way and we're getting close to a million people a 72 00:03:08,240 --> 00:03:11,560 Speaker 2: year coming in there and it's important to recognize that 73 00:03:11,960 --> 00:03:15,120 Speaker 2: and get that funding coming through to support it. We 74 00:03:15,160 --> 00:03:18,000 Speaker 2: can't a small community in Southend with twenty one thousand 75 00:03:18,080 --> 00:03:22,720 Speaker 2: right players fund infrastructure for that level of people. So yeah, 76 00:03:22,840 --> 00:03:25,440 Speaker 2: I'm sure it will make a reasonable dent and here 77 00:03:25,440 --> 00:03:26,600 Speaker 2: and what's needed going forward. 78 00:03:26,680 --> 00:03:29,880 Speaker 1: Good stuff. Congrats Rob, appreciate it, Rob Scott, Mayor of Southland. 79 00:03:30,639 --> 00:03:33,799 Speaker 2: For more from Hither Duplessy Allen Drive, listen live to 80 00:03:33,919 --> 00:03:36,960 Speaker 2: news talks. It'd be from four pm weekdays, or follow 81 00:03:37,000 --> 00:03:38,760 Speaker 2: the podcast on iHeartRadio.