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A private company, whose majority shareholder is Infinity Investment Group, has applied to the Department of Conservation (DOC) for a concession to drive a monorail and permanent construction/maintenance road through the Snowden Forest Conservation Area. Part of the SW NZ World Heritage Area; unique due to its wilderness and biodiversity. The full Disney-esque proposal would involve a boat (across L Wakitipu), then buses (Von River and Mararoa valleys), and then a 41km long monorail; constructed for the exclusive use of the company's clients. The monorail leg would end at Te Anau Downs (an isolated spot towards the northern end of Te Anau Lake where the company owns a hotel/restaurant). Milford Sound is then another hour and a half by bus. DOC announced, prior to any consultation, an 'intention' to grant the concession. There was public outrage once details were revealed, and hundreds of submissions from individuals and groups resulted. Save Fiordland was born. Over a year later a final decision by Nick Smith has yet to be made. Read more here about the proposal and the company behind it, and scroll down and follow the links for our 10 reasons why we must all oppose it. Download Petition Against Monorail Above: The Kiwi Burn hut in middle distance. Proposed monorail would come up the open flats past the hut and into bush at right. Our World Heritage status, National Parks and Conservation Areas must be protected for future generations. Read more... The FLE would affect grassed river valleys and mixed beech forest within a beautiful mountainous landscape. Read more... Whitestone River flows from the Livingstone Mountains. Proposed monorail crossing point right here. It’s a terribly dangerous precedent. The granting of a concession for the FLE could lead to further exploitation of conservation lands. Read more... There are management documents to be followed by the Department of Conservation to protect our wilderness. These are not being followed. Read more... The areas affected by this scheme currently provide an accessible introduction to New Zealand’s wilderness. This experience will be lost. Read more... The Fiordland Link Experience will not be faster than the current road journey between Queenstown and Milford Sound, and will create hassle. Read more... There are plenty of better options to reduce carbon miles between Queenstown and Milford Sound; such as park and ride schemes. Read more... There's no need to force through another route between these two places. Read more... Beautiful Te Anau - well placed with everything tourists need. Would you want to give the go ahead to a non-essential monorail constructed in a mountainous earthquake zone? Read more... The construction of the monorail will mean temporary work for some, but detrimentally affect the economies of tourist towns in the region. Read more... Click here for all the above reasons on one page; pdf ideal to print 164KB Click here for extracts from consultation submissions to the Department of Conservation from other people objecting to the monorail Click here to read about our (SUCCESSFUL) opposition to the other terrible project that was on the table; the Glenorchy to Hollyford (Milford-Dart) bus tunnel. This concession application has been declined! # and a line like: # 
Threat to our World Heritage status
Permanent environmental damage
What next?
A failure to follow process
Ruination of the back country experience
What experience anyway?
The monorail is not sustainable public transport
Queenstown is not the gateway to Milford Sound
It just plain scares us
No economic benefitMore links
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# All this should also be deleted.
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