Harbour participants selected

THE 20 ‘‘informed participants’’ to take part in next month’s Oamaru Harbour master plan workshops have been chosen by the Waitaki District Council.

The planned visioning and options workshops — the next steps in the creation of an Oamaru Harbour master plan — have also been confirmed for the start of April.

Council deputy chief executive Neil Jorgensen provided the ‘‘current list of confirmed attendees’’ for the two days of meetings when participants would, according to the approved establishment report, ‘‘establish the vision and values’’ for the master plan and develop a ‘‘longlist of interventions’’.

After the workshops, a master plan shortlist is expected to be created before the April 16 harbour area committee meeting.

The list of attendees Mr Jorgensen provided includes Waitaki Mayor Gary Kircher, harbour area committee members Crs Colin Wollstein, Guy Percival, Jeremy Holding, Jim Hopkins, Melanie Tavendale, and new additions to the committee for the master plan process Oamaru Whitestone Civic Trust chairman Graeme Clark (heritage), North Otago Yacht and Powerboat Club commodore Kevin Murdoch (maritime users) and Oamaru Blue Penguin Colony science and environmental manager Philippa Agnew (environment).

The socalled informed participants also to take part were listed as the Otago Chamber of Commerce; Friends of Oamaru Harbour; the Otago Regional Council harbour master; a representative from McKeown Group;

the Oamaru Multisport Club; Oamaru Steam and Rail; Otago Regional Council coastal hazards; the Waitaki Tourism Association; council economic development manager Gerard Quinn; and council heritage

adviser Heather Bauchop.

Mr Jorgensen said 20 participants was the optimal number for the ‘‘investment logic mapping’’ process to be used.

A planned fourth new addition to the harbour area committee

could be approved at the council’s March 26 meeting, and it could be one of the identified informed participants, Mr Jorgensen said.

The timetable adopted in the establishment report for the mas

ter plan includes consultation on the preferred option of the harbour area committee after its May 28 meeting, and council endorsement of a harbour master plan on June 25.