Quad bike venture told it needs consent

Rotorua tourism company Quadzone ATV Tours may be forced to shut down for operating without resource consent.

The Rotorua District Council is considering what action to take but could close the venture down. Quadzone operators say they were unaware they required resource consent.

Quadzone owns 15 quad bikes and offers quad bike rides and tours. Operating for eight months, it is situated on Ngongotaha Rd and shares the same site as Pure Dirt Tours although the businesses are run separately.

Rotorua District Council planning and services manager Tracey May has confirmed the company has been operating without resource consent, in breach of the District Plan.

She said the council was investigating and had several options, including serving an abatement notice on the company asking them to stop operating.

The council's investigation followed a complaint laid about the company, Ms May said.

Resource consent was necessary in a rural zone due to the impact the operation had on the environment, she said.

Council staff were still trying to determine how long the company had been operating without resource consent.

The Department of Labour yesterday confirmed it was investigating a complaint about Quadzone ATV Tours but would not elaborate further.

Environment Bay of Plenty is also investigating a complaint about Quadzone ATV Tours not seeking a resource consent to carry out earthworks on the property.

The attraction's owner, Brent Aburn, said he had been operating his business with the director of Pure Bike Tours, Mike Jamieson but they went their separate ways at the start of January.

Mr Aburn said he thought he could continue operating under the resource consent which he and Mr Jamieson had jointly applied and paid for last May.

He did not realise he had to get a new resource consent when the businesses split but would be doing so now, he said.

Mr Aburn said he knew nothing about the complaints to the Department of Labour and Environment Bay of Plenty and planned to speak to the district council about the resource consent.



"I think it's just a case of sour grapes. I'm just shattered."

He said there had been two minor accidents shortly after the company started operating quad bike tours in June. They had been reported to the Department of Labour.

Mr Jamieson said he had never been in a business partnership with Mr Aburn and that Pure Dirt Tours and Quadzone AV Tours were separate businesses which operated from the same site.

Mr Jamieson said the resource consent was in the name of Pure Dirt Tours.