NZsnowboard.com

Porter Heights Ski Area's North Island owners had reached the sale and purchase agreement with just a few conditions to be ticked off, director David Mazey said.

"We're on the last stages . . ." Porter Heights will likely be sold above its 1999 purchase price of about $1 million, by owners Mr Mazey, his wife Sharon and three other shareholding couples.

The change of hands comes at a time when there is another possible sale within the grouping of other South Island commercial and club fields.

Ski Areas Association of New Zealand spokesman Miles Davidson said there was possibly another field sale being negotiated, but he did not want to comment further.

New Zealand skifields were benefiting from a period of investment in chairlifts and snowmaking, with visitors during the 2006 season likely to outnumber the record 2004 total of 1.33 million.

"We're pretty confident we're going to exceed 2004 because we got such a good start this year," Mr Davidson said.

But ownership of most fields, many operated on Conservation Department or Crown land, remained relatively tightly held.

Other South Island commercial fields included Mt Lyford, Mt Hutt, Mt Dobson, Roundhill, Ohau, Treble Cone, Cardrona, Coronet Peak, and The Remarkables.

Families dominated the ownership of the smaller commercial fields, with significant investment by directors of the larger fields in snowmaking, chairlifts and onsite accommodation, Mr Davidson said.

"Next year at Ruapehu they will be putting in two detachable lifts at Whakapapa. So in terms of lift development it's been pretty active," he said.

Club fields included Mt Cheeseman, Broken River, Craigieburn, Temple Basin, Hanmer Springs, Mt Olympus, Fox Peak, Awakino and Rainbow. In the North Island Ruapehu Alpine Lifts owned commercial fields Turoa and Whakapapa, with other club fields on Mt Taranaki and Mt Ruapehu.

SOURCE: THE PRESS
ARTICLE: By ALAN WOOD