Port shift to Manukau gets top tick
Report says harbour in west preferred option with 60-year freight capacity
Aproposal to shift Auckland’s port to Manukau Harbour comes with major environmental and iwi concerns, coupled with cautious optimism over potential economic impacts.
The idea is outlined in a government report on options for shifting Port of Auckland freight operations.
It follows a separate report released in December that recommended moving the port to Northport, just south of Whanga¯rei.
The Manukau report, produced by consultants Sapere, took a longer-term view at freight capacity, and concluded the Auckland westcoast harbour was the the preferred option for a minimum 60-year freight capacity.
It also found it the most cost-effective, given its proximity to freight hubs in South Auckland, and to produce the least carbon emissions.
The port’s current downtown Auckland location had about 30 years’ capacity and there was a 10- to 15-year window for making a final decision on relocation, which meant it was not as urgent as the previous finding.
Auckland mayor Phil Goff welcomed the proposal, which he said showed neither Northport nor the Port of Tauranga were viable options for resiting the port in the long term.
The current port land needed to be returned to the people of Auckland, but had to be done in a way that would not disadvantage residents or businesses, Goff said.
However Wayne Brown, the Northland engineer behind last year’s report, said the Manukau Harbour was too shallow and dangerous.
His concerns were backed by Infrastructure Minister and
Northland MP Shane Jones, who said he was “absolutely unimpressed with the quality” of the report.
“This report wants to go to the most dangerous harbour in New Zealand, Manukau.”
Shipping Federation executive director Annabel Young said moving the port to the Manukau Harbour would require large amounts of dredging to allow room for big ships to get in, which would likely raise environmental issues and be costly.
But Transport Minister Phil Twyford said all major ports in the world needed to dredge, and experts cited in the report had downplayed those issues.
The latest report showed even sharing capacity between them, Northport and Tauranga had only about 60 years’ growth capacity.
On top of this would be increased freight costs and carbon emissions, compared with having the port in Manukau.
“We don’t want to lock in inefficiencies or greater carbon emissions. It is a huge decision, we have to get it right for the entire economy.”
Perspectives compiled through interviews with the government’s Treaty of Waitangi partners also expressed a range of concerns.
The health of the Manukau Harbour was the subject of one of the first claims ever lodged in the Waitangi Tribunal, so it was “not surprising” iwi and hapu¯ had “significant concern” about the environmental and cultural impacts of dredging and land reclamation, report authors said.
Nga¯ti te Ata said the reestablishment of a commercial port in the Manukau could be the “straw that breaks the camel’s back”.
However, those concerned also said a port could bring the spotlight on to the harbour for environmental and cultural restoration.
Iwi also recognised the work and business opportunities, ranging from constructing and operating the port, to service industries and even tourism.
Whatever decision was made, the report authors warned iwi needed to be closely involved in the decision-making process.