Bulldozed boatyard: Yachties face off with wealthy club
A central Auckland boatyard considered ‘‘vital’’ for keeping biosecurity threats at bay is now set to be bulldozed, amid accusations that wealthy yachties are calling the shots. Jonathan Killick investigates.
Liz Alonzi doesn’t want to sell her 10-foot trimaran, but may have no choice. With the closure of the Okahu Bay Hardstand in O¯ ra¯kei, the next-closest location she can service her vessel is in Whanga¯ rei.
‘‘It’s either that or pay $1500 an hour to hire a crane, which I can’t do,’’ she said, explaining that other Auckland marinas were not equipped for trimarans.
The closure came as a surprise to some; cleaning is critical for Auckland boaties due to new rules introduced to stop the spread of invasive seaweed caulerpa brachypus, and Auckland Council had previously spent $3 million upgrading the site’s cleaning facilities in 2007.
Auckland has a chronic shortage of marine cleaning facilities, with a council-commissioned report by consultancy Ecometrics finding the city had only a third of the capacity needed to properly clean its 8800-strong fleet.
Co-chairperson of the Ta¯ maki Estuary Environmental Forum Bruce Kendall said the lack of facilities was deeply concerning and he knew of people waiting up to two months to access a hardstand space for cleaning. If boats were found to be above a certain level of contamination, he said, owners would have to lift them out of the water within 48 hours, or face fines of up to $100,000.
Despite that, the O¯ ra¯ kei Local Board voted to bulldoze the Okahu Bay facility over the objections of council staff, who advised that the yard was of vital importance for keeping biosecurity threats at bay, and closing it would mean a price increase for cleaning services across the region.
The public-access boatyard is now set to become a car park and events space – the preferred outcome for the Royal Akarana Yacht Club, a private members-only club next door that has vigorously lobbied for more parking as part of The Landing precinct, which covers both the public and private areas.
Management of the public boatyard was given notice it would have to close before the public submission process had even begun, and council records showed at least 45% of submitters had some association with the Akarana club.
The Royal Akarana Yacht Club is bankrolled by the Akarana Marine
Sports Charitable Trust and Hyundai New Zealand, which are both headed by Howard Spencer – a keen boatie from one of Auckland’s richest families, whose own yacht is named The Menace.
Leading up to the vote on closing the public boatyard, the local board heard from the operations manager of Tamaki Marine Park in Mt Wellington, who said any vessels affected by the Okahu Bay closure could be redirected to his facility. The marine park is owned by Tasman Holdings, which is directed by Howard Spencer.
At the board meeting where members voted, chairperson Scott Milne announced in advance that he would be voting in favour of bulldozing the hardstand, which some interpreted as a direction to other board members.
It left a bad taste in the mouths of local boaties like Paul Vahry, who said he was once a stalwart of the club but vigorously opposed the tactics it had used to close down the public facility. He estimated around 600 boats would be affected.
‘‘I’ve grown up yachting and in the 80s I was fortunate enough to build a boat in the front yard, much to the derision of my neighbours, but those days are over.’’
Vahry said in his view the whole process had been ‘‘a disgrace’’.
‘‘The people that are doing this are extremely wealthy, in the top 1% or 2%. At the end of the day, it’s money making money.’’
The difficult relationship runs both ways, and Akarana Trust general manager Nicky Tuck said she had been ‘‘intensely’’ abused at the public meetings.
Tuck said the trust’s facilities clocked up to 20,000 users each month, and around 1000 young sailors had come through thanks to a development programme, so the redevelopment would benefit thousands of Aucklanders.
‘‘I know that they’re saying we want [the hardstand] for storage, and we would like a bit more, but there’s also people who have waka ama and canoes.’’
Not everyone on the O¯ ra¯ kei Local Board is happy with what happened. Board member Troy Churton has stood against the majority, fighting to retain the public boatyard amid what he felt was an ill-considered decision.
Churton said it made no sense to use commercial performance to justify closing the yard, when ‘‘it was the local board that asked them to reduce space and be less profitable’’.
Boatyard management had asked the local board for permission to raise its rates because it was charging around $20 a day, while commercial yards charged $40. Raising prices could have generated an extra $144,234 a year in revenue, but the request was knocked back by the board.
A grand plan including a treetop walkway was originally proposed to replace the boatyard, but that’s since been trimmed down because the board couldn’t afford it.
Consultations on the scaledback plan will reopen in April; Milne said the move would open the space to ‘‘tens of thousands’’ of people beyond just boaties.
Milne defended Spencer’s role in development at The Landing, saying the local board was grateful for the external support.
‘‘He’s been amazingly supportive, and people forget that the Spencer family have given millions develop trust.’’
He said revealing his intentions prior to the official vote was just ‘‘how debate works’’, and he hadn’t instructed other board members how to vote.
‘‘Those claims are mischief and false.’’ of their own money to The Landing and the
He said the reason the yard management was given notice before consultation was because the older lease wasn’t ‘‘fit for purpose’’ and was always going to be terminated.
Milne said that the environmental argument to keep the yard open didn’t hold much weight. ‘‘It’s been the craziest argument shouted in my face, that they will have to travel further for cleaning. These are the same boaties that go to [Rangitoto Island’s] Islington Bay for drinks.’’
Churton, meanwhile, has stuck to his guns, writing letters to each of the local residents’ associations outlining his position against the redevelopment. ‘‘You can vote me off next term if you disagree.’’