Skyline 'disappointed' as council takes legal action

The company that runs Queenstown's gondola attraction is "disappointed" the Queenstown Lakes District Council is taking it to court over damage caused by a debris flow during an intense storm a year ago.

Skyline Enterprises chief executive Geoff McDonald has issued a statement after it was revealed last week the council is laying charges against three companies in relation to the event.

Skyline construction work produced a large amount of debris

"We are disappointed to receive notification that Skyline are to be the subject of regulatory action as a result of weather-related incidents that occurred last year," Mr McDonald says.

"In September 2023, an unexpected and very significant weather event hit Queenstown causing flooding and slips across the region.

"This rain event caused the movement of material on Bob’s Peak, adjacent to Skyline, in the vicinity of the Reavers alluvial fan.

"Immediately following the incident last year, Skyline committed to supporting Queenstown Lakes District Council’s clean-up activities, and have worked in association with council in the remediation of the slope below Skyline.

"Skyline acknowledges the distress that the events have caused in the community.

"Skyline, Queenstown Lakes District Council and other parties involved continue to work in a way that ensures remedial works are expedited and completed for the benefit of the community.   

"Skyline has no further comment to make at this time."

The identity of the two other companies is not yet publicly known, however all three are due in court on October 21 on charges related to breaches of the Resource Management Act.

In September, during torrential rain, a debris flow alleged to have started at a construction site at the top of the gondola inundated areas around Reavers Lane, damaging private property and forcing residents and businesses to evacuate overnight.

A clean-up operation at a unit on Reavers Lane, September 2023 (Supplied: Jasper Thompson).

An investigation by Crux in the weeks following the storm revealed Skyline to be the likely source of the Reavers Lane flow, forcing the company to issue an apology and district mayor Glyn Lewers to demand answers.

Soon after, the council launched its own investigation into the incident.

Upgrades at the top terminal of the Skyline gondola have been carried out by lead contractor Naylor Love.

A separate debris flow ran down Bob's Peak, burying sections of the Queenstown Cemetery with logs and mud, and impacting Brecon and Shotover Streets.

Main image: The view from atop the Skyline gondola, looking east, down the hill towards Gorge Road, shows an obvious flow of shingle and rock beginning at construction stockpiles, September 2023.