A supporter of a plan to build a monorail in Fiordland says it could benefit New Zealand's tourism industry.
Riverstone Holdings Limited is applying for a 40-year concession to shuttle up to 1 million people per year between Queenstown and Milford Sound through Department of Conservation land.
Public hearings into the proposal began on Monday in Te Anau with those opposed to the plan saying the $150 million proposal will ruin the landscape.
But farmer Ross Cockburn supports the proposal. He says Te Anau was once an uneconomic backwater and tourism must be encouraged to ensure businesses there do not suffer.
