Ski lanes at Hunters Creek and Panepane Point are the two hot topics in the current Navigation Safety bylaw review.

Regional Council planning staff are currently combing through 217 written submissions in preparation for the next phase of the process - the hearings in a couple of weeks.

Bylaw changes seeking a separation between boats and ships. Photo: Joanna Maidment.

The future of Matakana Island's hunter's Creek was flagged as an issue in the pre-consultation phase of the process, says senior planner Shawn Baker.

Later in the process, they were told there would be submissions on adding a ski lane at Panepane.

'We always knew Hunters Creek would be a bulk of the submissions because the reason why we proposed the Panepane ski area was because we knew we were going to get a range of submissions on Hunters Creek.

'The purpose of proposing both areas was to enable people to be aware of what may come up in submissions and make the process transparent so everybody can be involved in it. It's all about trying to be transparent.”

If they hadn't opened the discussion on the Panepane ski lane, then the submissions on it would have been a surprise to the boating public.

'A lot of people who wouldn't have the opportunity to become involved in the discussion because they wouldn't have known that it was a possibility coming up.”

He says the regional council consulted extensively with the yacht club and club officials were invited to meetings.

'But the proposal for Panepane did come very late in the piece when we were doing submissions,” says Shawn.

Many submissions are about the proposal to place a ski lane next to the Panepane wharf. The wharf itself is a regular stop for the harbor cruise ferry, and the area west of the wharf is a popular all tide anchorage.

'We're essentially trying to get it out there so that people like the yacht club can have a look at it see what they think,” says Shawn.

The other hot topic is a proposed 500m moving exclusion zone around ships entering and leaving port.

While yacht club officials say it will seriously affect yacht racing, the measure is aimed at recreational fishers, says Shawn.

Both the harbourmaster and the Port of Tauranga are concerned that the amount of small craft having to be moved out of the way of ships entering and leaving the port is still increasing.

'You wouldn't believe what goes on out there some times,” says Shawn.

'We have been told it's becoming more and more of a problem.”

The proposed bylaw change is just putting some numbers around the existing rule that small craft are not to impede the navigation of a ship. Anyone fishing from a boat in the entrance is required to move if they see a ship coming towards them.

'The thing about 500m is the average ship moves about eight knots, and that's being very conservative,” says Shawn.

It takes two minutes and three seconds for a ship to cover 500m at eight knots, says Shawn.

'So it's not long to look up, realise a ship is coming towards you, and to do something about it. It's as much to start educating people to say ‘Oh, I'm this close, I better start moving'.

'And I think people under estimate distance in the harbor as well.”

The view from the bridge of a containership is limited. Anything within 900m directly in front cannot be seen.

'The problem is they are sitting there, the pilot sees a small craft go in front and they can't see it and they don't know what it's done, where it's going or anything like that.

'They can't stop. They can't turn to avoid it, and what do they do? If you're piloting a vessel inside the harbor it's a tight spot.”

Hearings are being held before a commissioner on July 22, 25 and 26.