Lyttelton (New Zealand) being “overrun and overwhelmed” by the volume of cruise ship passengers

   February 14, 2023 ,   Cruise Industry

Lyttelton (New Zealand) is being “overrun and overwhelmed” by the volume of cruise passengers, residents say.

They are worried about the long-term impact of the industry on their “sleepy little town” and are fed up with having to battle the crowds when taking the bus.

Residents took their concerns to the Banks Peninsula Community Board of Christchurch City Council on Monday, February 13th, where there was standing room in the public gallery.

~85 cruise ships are scheduled to berth in Lyttelton this season, ending in April. Some ships have 4000+ passengers onboard, which a resident said was more than the population of Lyttelton.

~100 cruise ship bookings have been confirmed for next season.

Locals want the issues resolved by then. However, it appears there is no easy solution.

Port of Lyttelton-Christchurch (New Zealand)

Resident Sara Campbell surveyed a total of 40 businesses to get their views on the cruise ships, 14 responded. 57.2% said that they disagreed with the statement cruise ships were having a positive impact on residents/non-cruise ship visitors. Another 21.4% agreed, 21.4% were neutral.

In response to the statement that “cruise ships have a positive impact on my business”, 35.7% disagreed and 42.9% agreed.

64.3% of respondents agreed with the statement cruise ships have a negative environmental impact.