The Commerce Commission has approved the merger of Rotorua's three commercial rafting operators, much to the pleasant surprise of those behind the bid.The ruling, finalised in June, came after months of investigation, during which Rotorua Rafting director Sam Sutton became so resigned to defeat that he and his fellow applicants came close to ditching the proposal.After two decision extensions amid the commission's concerns that the merger might lessen competition, Sutton was prepared for bad news."So it's cool that they came through in the end," he said."It's exciting for Ōkere Falls to see what we can create as a destination."The decision clears the way for Rotorua Rafting, Kaitiaki Adventures and Kaituna Cascades to merge their rafting and sledging operations.The proposal, first lodged in November 2025, was presented by the operators as a response to mounting pressures facing the sector, including rising operating costs, compliance expenses and increasing uncertainty around river conditions and visitor demand.White-water rafting at Okere Falls near Rotorua.LDR / NZME / Christine CornegeThe application was backed by the Rotorua Lakes Council's tourism arm, RotoruaNZ, and the local tourism sector.RotoruaNZ chief executive Andrew Wilson told the commission the merger represented a "proactive and collaborative approach to ensuring the long-term sustainability of the rafting sector", and would help preserve "a cornerstone of Rotorua's adventure tourism identity".After the commission released a statement of unresolved issues in April, Sutton considered ending the bid.RotoruaNZ chief executive Andrew Wilson.LDR / NZMEBut support soon arrived from the Tourism Export Council of New Zealand and New Zealand Māori Tourism.The groups argued the industry faced rising costs and operational pressures, and that a combined business would be better placed to remain viable while continuing to invest in safety, staff and visitors.Eventually, the regulator accepted that rafting operators compete not only with each other, but with a much broader range of visitor experiences across Rotorua.Rotorua Rafting's Sam Sutton.LDR / Rotorua Daily Post / Andrew WarnerFor Sutton, the support from across the tourism industry reinforced his view that the merger was about strengthening the sector."I haven't had too much negative feedback from it, so that's good," he said."There's obviously the odd keyboard boys worrying about a rafting cartel, but I think there's bigger cartels that they should be concerned about."Commerce Commission deputy chair Anne Callinan said the decision was "finely balanced", with two of the three deciding commissioners approving the bid.Associate commissioner Rakihia Tau was not supportive, saying he was not satisfied he could rule out the possibility of a substantial lessening of competition.Tau argued the three operators were direct competitors and remained unconvinced other tourism experiences would sufficiently constrain the merged business once it controlled commercial rafting on the Kaituna River.But he was outvoted by Callinan and fellow commissioner Bryan Chapple."Although these rafting providers are close competitors, we are on balance satisfied that the loss of competition resulting from the merger would be mitigated by a range of competitive constraints in aggregate," Callinan said.Sutton said work was now underway toward finalising the merger, but it would not be completed in time for the upcoming peak season.The companies still need to resolve how the joint venture will operate and determine the level of involvement from each business.'Good for customers'He could not yet provide a timeline but said it would be finalised before the following peak season."It'll be good for the customers," he said."If we are able to pull this all off and pull it together, it's going to be a better operation."Longer-term, he believes the merger will allow operators to focus less on competing with one another and more on attracting visitors from around New Zealand and abroad."Rather than fighting over a slice of the pie," he said, "we'll be actually able to grow the pie."LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.