Battle of the seas

A New Plymouth sailor is challenging the Department of Conservation over a proposed tax. ROBIN BAILEY reports


When a tough and gnarly seafarer who is also a former boxer takes on a bureaucratic heavyweight, things tend to get interesting. Which is exactly the situation in New Plymouth where charter boat operator Captain Dave (Chaddy) Chadfield is seriously at odds with the Department of Conservation.

For 11 years Chaddy has been running tours to the Sugar Loaf Islands in a converted British lifeboat. Depending on the weather he carries from 5000 to 15,000 passengers a year to look at and learn about marine life in the area now designated as a Marine Protected Area.

In March this year DoC demanded a concession of 50c a head for each passenger carried by Chaddy's Tours. This proposed tax does not sit well with the man who has been an unofficial watchdog and unpaid guardian for the area as long as he has been working there.

He already pays $200 a year for a marine mammal-watching permit, which he says is fair enough. "It's the same sort of permit the Kaikoura whale-watch operation comes under," he says.

"I helped set up the marine park in 1991 and now DoC is using a big stick to impose a charge that would put me out of business. I'm not going to pay."

That's a call to battle stations and the sailor has some heavyweight supporters. Among them are Ngati Te Whiti Ahi Kaa chair Wikitoria Keenan and hapu kaumatua Tom McCulloch.

"I wish they would leave him alone," says McCulloch, who attended a meeting between Chaddy and DoC.

"I really feel sorry for him - he protects our taonga when he is out there on the water."

Taranaki Chamber of Commerce general manager Nicola Walsh says if the row gets to the courts, the chamber will support Chadfield. "If legal money is required, the chamber will provide it."

To that level of support can be added the backing of local MPs Shane Adern and Harry Duynhoven who agree with the stance Chadfield spelled out in a letter to Conservation Minister Chris Carter.

Chaddy: "There is no reason for a concession fee to travel through the waters of the reserve. There is no management cost incurred by DoC, the boat does not stop, touch or disturb the animals or land on the rocks or the islands.

"We travel at a slow sightseeing speed and there is no wake. At all times we operate with total respect for the environment and each tour helps educate both tourists and locals on the history and nature of the area.

"I also rescue windsurfers and kayakers in trouble and report people fishing or diving in restricted areas. Because I am in the area more than anyone else I provide a high level of supervision and I don't charge for this service."

In his letter to Carter, New Plymouth MP Duynhoven explained much of the background to the row and commented that while those using National Park huts and land-based facilities pay for the privilege, "It seems that something has gone astray in the mix here, where no facilities are actually used".

He invited the minister to experience a Chaddy's Happy Tour at any convenient time and see for himself the positive influences the operation has on the marine park.

That offer has not yet been taken up, but the minister is well aware of the ongoing battle and says it has dragged on too long.

He is adamant that the sort of concession DoC is seeking applies to every conservation area in the country and making an exemption for Chaddy's Tours is not an option. The amount charged, though, could be open to negotiation as a special case.

The Marine Transport Association is keeping a close eye on the Chaddy v DoC battle as there are real fears that other similar operators around the coast, and particularly the booming kayaking sector, could become victims of a similar tax.