Cruise ship operations to be monitored when they return to Akaroa in November

Cruise ships are anticipated to return to Akaroa, southeast of Christchurch in November. While there will be less arriving compared to pre COVID numbers, the Harbourmaster’s Office will be working alongside other agencies to ensure cruise ship operations are completed in a safe and coordinated manner.

Akaroa is a town on the Banks Peninsula, southeast of Christchurch. Akaroa Beach is on the eastern shore of Akaroa Harbour, where the rare Hector’s dolphins swim.

The New Zealand Government has indicated that a date for the reopening of New Zealand’s marine borders will be announced within the next few weeks.

As such, Environment Canterbury, Christchurch City Council, ChristchurchNZ, and the Lyttelton Port Company recently briefed the Banks Peninsula Community Board about the likely return of cruise ships to Canterbury waters, explaining what preparations are in place for the coming season.

Regional Harbourmaster Jim Dilley notes the 2022/23 cruise ship season would allow the community to understand how a lower volume of cruise vessels affects the area and explained “the community can compare this season with previous years and decide if this represents a good balance.

“Our staff will be on site managing the maritime activities and access to the wharf, while Christchurch City Council will be overseeing the activities on the shore.''

If the marine border reopens this year as expected, it is likely about 19 cruise ships will visit Akaroa between November 2022 and March 2023. This represents a major reduction from the 90 cruise ships that visited Akaroa during the 2019/20 season. 

The new berth at Lyttelton is available for cruise ships for the first time this season.

Passenger numbers are subject to change, but there will be significantly fewer cruise ship passengers in Akaroa this season than there were during the 2019/20 season.

For most days of the 2022/23 season, there will be fewer than 1000 cruise ship passengers disembarking in Akaroa. On the busiest days of the season, there will be fewer than 2000 cruise ship passengers disembarking.

Cruise ship visits to Akaroa have been a matter of community interest and discussion in recent years, with concerns raised over the number of ships visiting, potential damage to the seabed and safety. As recommended by a 2021 report from the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, the lull in cruise ship visits has been used to address these concerns.

By introducing new limits on the number of anchorages, size of vessels, and how often they can visit, Environment Canterbury want to lessen any environmental impacts.

Since cruise ships last visited New Zealand in 2020, Environment Canterbury, ChristchurchNZ, and the Christchurch City Council have worked together with the Department of Conservation (DOC) and Toitū Te Whenua (LINZ) to get feedback from the community, reduce the potential social and environmental impact of tourism activities on the water, and gather environmental data.

This work has included high-tech seabed mapping of Banks Peninsula and a study of Hector’s dolphins run by DOC and the University of Otago. ChristchurchNZ will also be commencing a Destination Management Plan for Banks Peninsula this year.

All the reports and data collected to date are being taken into account as Environment Canterbury reviews the Regional Coastal Environment Plan. An integrated plan framework is being developed over the next few years and will include the opportunity for community consultation.

Image courtesy Christchurch City Council