Nelson kitesurfers defy ban

Kitesurfers and authorities are ignoring a law banning kitesurfing at Nelson's Tahunanui Beach because it is too hard to police.

An aviation rule bans kitesurfing and kite flying within 4km of an airport boundary.

Civil Aviation Authority sport and recreation manager Rex Kenny said: "Realistically, we could get somebody to sit on the beach and do something about it on a Saturday, and on Sunday it's all back on again. It would be almost impossible to effectively police it."

Nelson Airport Airways Corporation control tower manager Warwick Duke said although he was obliged to report kitesurfers to Civil Aviation, it was often hard to see them because of trees between the airport and the beach.