Minister enters wharf row

A controversial extension at the end of Queens Wharf to tie up large cruise ships has hit a snag in the form of Environment Minister David Parker.

The Auckland Council, with strong backing from mayor Phil Goff, is pushing ahead to build a 90m fixed gangway and two concrete mooring structures fixed to the seabed.

The 15m by 15m structures, known as dolphins, mean a handful of cruise ships a year that currently anchor in the harbour will be able to berth at Queens Wharf.

Last week, the Herald revealed the cost of the project has blown out by 75 per cent from $9.4 million to $16.9m with a senior council bureaucrat hinting the cost could rise further.

On top of that, $1.7m has been spent on professional fees for the mooring dolphins.

The Government, which co-owns 50 per cent of Queens Wharf with the council after it was purchased by the Auckland Regional Council in 2010 to become the “people’s wharf” and “party central” for the 2011 Rugby World Cup, has been kept informed about the plans for the dolphins.

But Parker has now said the Government has not been asked for its agreement for the proposal.

“I have some issues I want to work through with the council and until then I have no further comment,” Parker said.

It’s not the first time Parker has intervened in wharf extensions into the Waitemata¯ Harbour, which were a big concern for Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern when she was a Labour candidate for Auckland Central.

When the first plans for a cluster of America’s Cup bases on wharf extensions emerged in 2017, Parker was instrumental in reducing the amount of reclamation and saving tens of millions of dollars.

Architect Julie Stout, a key figure in an appeal in the Environment Court against the resource consent for the dolphins, was pleased to hear Parker is raising issues with the council.