Boaties' lake fees to double

Taupo boaties could see the fees for keeping and operating boats in the area double - but they are happy to pay the extra as long as facilities are improved.
The Department of Internal Affairs, which administers the Lake Taupo Harbourmasters office, has conducted a review of the fees charged for Lake Taupo boating facilities - including 17 ramps, three marinas and a number of jetties in the area.
They found the current fees were insufficient to meet the day-to-day costs of maintaining the facilities and that the department should recover the depreciation costs and the $1.5 million annual rental payment made to the Tuwharetoa Maori Trust Board.
To cover those they plan to hike fees by more than 100 per cent.
A 116 per cent fees increase, which equates to $312,000, would be required - with a little more than $234,000 going to recover the costs paid for the rental of the lake bed, and around $78,000  to maintain the boating facilities and recover depreciation costs.
Despite a large increase in fees for berth and ramp permits proposed, a lot of the boaties The Daily Post spoke to said they were happy to pay, as long as upgrades were being made.
Chris Jolly, owner of Chris Jolly Outdoors, said more money put into the marinas to improve facilities was worth paying for - and it was well overdue.
"I think most of the Taupo boating fraternity would acknowledge that as a facility the potential of this boat harbour has never been realised. We do need a big upgrade and there's only one way that's going to happen, by increasing the fees to those who use it," he said.

Mr Jolly believed berths, electrical aspects of the berths and the jetties needed the biggest upgrades.
He said he would probably be hit harder than other boaties as his four boats were charter vessels.
He currently paid more than $1000 per berth and has three of them.
A local boatie, who didn't want to be named and who's had a berth on the Taupo marina for 40 years, said he'd pay four times the current amount as long as facilities were improved.
"There's inadequate jetties, there needs to be a decent power supply and the boats are jammed in. There needs to be some money spent down there and the only way they can do that is by increasing berth fees."
He said the jetties were "shocking" and could be dangerous for people walking on and off them.
Another local boatie, Gary West, who has a 8m yacht berthed in Motuoapa, didn't believe the small percentage of funds was enough but would still pay if there was improvement.
"For a certain period every year in Motuoapa it's very difficult to even use the marina because it's often clogged with weed and   too shallow. If they were going to consistently remove the weed then I'd be more than happy to pay the increases."
Lake Taupo harbourmaster Philip King admitted that some  facilities needed upgrading.
He said money allocated for maintenance would cover spending on the facilities such as the jetties and berths.
The Department of Internal Affairs said the depreciation recovery costs would also be used to replace, enhance or modernise facilities such as jetties once their lifespan was over.
The Department of Internal Affairs will meet with stakeholders and the public at an open meeting today (Tuesday) at the Taupo Yacht Club beginning at 6pm.