Aerial view of Auckland waterfront and port. Photo / supplied
Auckland business leader Sir Stephen Tindall is making a last-gasp plea to Auckland Mayor Len Brown and councillors to halt further reclamation of the Waitemata Harbour for port use until a full study of the economic, social and environmental impacts is complete.
In an open letter to Mr Brown and councillors this morning, Sir Stephen is calling on the politicians to use all their powers to stop two large wharf extensions into the harbour at the end of Bledisloe Wharf.
He also wants the council to stick with a tough line on the rules for further reclamation at mediation on zoning for the port precinct in the Unitary Plan.
"Taking a short-term view will inevitably end up with an incremental approach, and this is what is happening now.
"The proposed extensions of Bledisloe are the first step to more reclamation, and as the port company has clearly stated, further down the track it will want to do more again," Sir Stephen said.
An extraordinary meeting of the Auckland development committee will today consider revoking a decision two weeks ago to create more generous rules allowing expansion through reclamation.
The committee voted 9-8 to abandon the tough line of "non-complying" status decided in 2013 to the weaker fully notified "discretionary" status. Today's vote is expected to be close.
Sir Stephen said those councillors who believed weakening the rules would be good for business and the economy needed to stop and think what was best for Auckland.
"The Waitemata Harbour has great significance for all Aucklanders and a delay to any extensions while we get the stage-two work done will not seriously affect either the port or your dividend," he said.
There was huge unrest, Sir Stephen said, among Auckland's urban design community, the Ngati Whatua tribe, boating interests and the general public.
"Likewise, many in the business community strongly believe that the case has not been made for the extensions," he said.
The council approved the wharf extensions last year without giving the public a say. Ports of Auckland plans to start building in April.
Committee chairwoman Penny Hulse has declined requests by Ngati Whatua, Waitemata Local Board chairman Shale Chambers and Devonport-Takapuna Local Board chairman Mike Cohen to address today's meeting.
Waterfront Auckland, the council body charged with developing the city waterfront, has passed a motion opposing further reclamation until the full study is completed.
In August 2013, Mayor Brown said: "Before we make any decisions about whether the port expands or otherwise, we need an informed discussion with Aucklanders, underpinned by a robust study that includes consideration of economic, social and environmental factors."
Today, Former Auckland City Mayor Dick Hubbard said if Mr Brown and the council stopped further reclamation "then this legacy decision would be at least just as important to Auckland as getting the inner city rail loop up and going".
"Allowing incremental reclamation of the harbour is essentially incremental death to the harbour by a thousand cuts," said Mr Hubbard, mayor of the city council between 2004 and 2007.
Visionary leadership, he said, would be rationalisation of the ports of Auckland, Tauranga and Marsden Pt.
"It does not matter where they are as long as they are within economic rail link of Auckland. Tauranga has proved it is totally within economic rail link of Auckland.
"The argument that 40 per cent of New Zealand's imports come through Auckland and that therefore a strong port is an economic necessity is a nonsense argument." Mr Hubbard said.
He said the argument was about more than the harbour, it was also about transport congestion with heavy port trucks clogging the inner city and motorway and street system.
"Similarly once the inner city rail loop is completed and passenger rail ramps up then the rail lines will also be a choke point and certainly if light rail was ever put on the main rail line system this would be absolutely incompatible with freight trains," he said.
Mr Hubbard said cities around the world, including Vancouver, London, Hamburg, Sydney, Melbourne and San Francisco, were moving their ports away from downtown areas.
In Hong Kong, where they narrowed space between Hong Kong Island and mainland through reclamation for port use, they now admit it was a big mistake, he said.
"Arguably Auckland's waterfront is much more iconic than that of Hong Kong," Mr Hubbard said.
The President of the New Zealand Institute of Architects, Pip Cheshire, has also urged Auckland Council to stop the further encroachment into Waitemata Harbour by the council-owned company Ports of Auckland.
"While the operation of the port is vital to the city and to the region's economy so too is the aesthetic quality of the harbour," Mr Cheshire said.
"The Waitemata Harbour is critical to the Council's stated ambition to make Auckland the world's most liveable city. For many Aucklanders, a big part of what makes their city liveable right now is the harbour."
"The Council's recent approval of the port company's plan to extend Bledisloe Wharf nearly 100 metres out into the harbour does not seem consistent with the most liveable city vision."
Mr Cheshire said the planned wharf extension negates many of the benefits of the Council's 2009 decision to buy Queen's Wharf from the ports company.
"Aucklanders paid $40 million for something it seemed they already owned, but were assured that the purchase would preserve harbour views from the end of Queens Wharf."
"Those views will be severely obstructed if the proposed wharf extension goes ahead."
Mr Cheshire said he hoped Auckland's elected representatives will reconsider their approval of the Bledisloe Wharf extension.
Today, Former Auckland City Mayor Dick Hubbard said if Mr Brown and the council stopped further reclamation "then this legacy decision would be at least just as important to Auckland as getting the inner city rail loop up and going".
"Allowing incremental reclamation of the harbour is essentially incremental death to the harbour by a thousand cuts," said Mr Hubbard, mayor of the city council between 2004 and 2007.
Visionary leadership, he said, would be rationalisation of the ports of Auckland, Tauranga and Marsden Pt.
"It does not matter where they are as long as they are within economic rail link of Auckland. Tauranga has proved it is totally within economic rail link of Auckland.
"The argument that 40 per cent of New Zealand's imports come through Auckland and that therefore a strong port is an economic necessity is a nonsense argument," Mr Hubbard said.
The argument was about more than the harbour, it was also about transport congestion with heavy port trucks clogging the inner city, motorway and street system.
"Similarly once the inner city rail loop is completed and passenger rail ramps up then the rail lines will also be a choke point and certainly if light rail was ever put on the main rail line system this would be absolutely incompatible with freight trains," he said.
Mr Hubbard said cities around the world, including Vancouver, London, Hamburg, Sydney, Melbourne and San Francisco, were moving their ports away from downtown areas.
In Hong Kong, where they narrowed space between Hong Kong Island and mainland through reclamation for port use, they now admit it was a big mistake, he said.
"Arguably Auckland's waterfront is much more iconic than that of Hong Kong," Mr Hubbard said.
The president of the New Zealand Institute of Architects, Pip Cheshire, has also urged Auckland Council to stop the further encroachment into Waitemata Harbour by the council-owned company Ports of Auckland.
"While the operation of the port is vital to the city and to the region's economy so too is the aesthetic quality of the harbour," Mr Cheshire said.
"The Waitemata Harbour is critical to the Council's stated ambition to make Auckland the world's most liveable city. For many Aucklanders, a big part of what makes their city liveable right now is the harbour.
"The Council's recent approval of the port company's plan to extend Bledisloe Wharf nearly 100 metres out into the harbour does not seem consistent with the most liveable city vision."
Mr Cheshire said the planned wharf extension negates many of the benefits of the Council's 2009 decision to buy Queen's Wharf from the ports company.
"Aucklanders paid $40 million for something it seemed they already owned, but were assured that the purchase would preserve harbour views from the end of Queens Wharf.
"Those views will be severely obstructed if the proposed wharf extension goes ahead."
Mr Cheshire said he hoped Auckland's elected representatives would reconsider their approval of the Bledisloe Wharf extension.
High stakes
• Sir Stephen Tindall makes last-gasp plea to the council.
• Mayor and councillors vote today on rules for further reclamation.
• Decision is expected to be close.
• There's widespread public support to stop the reclamation.
The change may add $25m annually to costs during a cost-of-living crisis.