Unsightly tribute to unfinished business

The Ports of Auckland decision to mothball automation plans at the Fergusson Container Terminal has been described in colourful terms by critics and supporters of the company.

Auckland mayor Phil Goff said it was of “deep concern”, apparently oblivious to the ambiguity when talking about a deepwater port.

Maritime Union leader Craig Harrison said it was “encouraging” the decision wasn’t put off for another 12 months.

The gigantic cranes are now set to loom on the skyline as stark reminders of the ports company’s folly.

The port says the cranes will be utilised but more investment will be needed. It’s difficult to see how this can happen with the ports’ limited tenure at the site and automation software and guidance systems scrapped.

Sadly, these are only the latest in a harbour of half-finished schemes.

The Auckland Harbour Bridge is one of the most famous, restricted to four lanes to avoid bankrupting the then-powerful ferry moguls, clip-on lanes were soon needed to patch the compromise.

The Onewa Rd motorway interchange was originally a visionary design of a giant fish to denote the gateway to the North Shore and as a nod to the earliest human endeavours in the area. Tiles, landscaping and plantings were abandoned towards the end of the project and it remains unresolved.

The disappointments go all the way back to the city’s original architect, Felton Mathew, who devised a magnificent harbour city of gardens and symmetrical thoroughfares, only to have his plans redrawn with lackadaisical air.

Auckland, the old joke goes, is a great place but it will be even better when it’s finished.