The project by the country's biggest and busiest port has been tangled in red tape for several years. Photo / Mike Scott
Port of Tauranga Limited has received a second interim decision from the Environment Court confirming resource consent will be granted for stage one of its planned Sulphur Point berth container terminal extension. The decision requires some specific amendments to the conditions proposed by Port of Tauranga, the NZX-listed
port said in a statement.
The decision comes after a three-week court hearing in March 2023, followed by an interim decision just over a year ago requiring Port of Tauranga to undertake further engagement with iwi and hapū and the Bay of Plenty Regional Council.
Stage one involves constructing 285 metres of additional berth to the south of the port’s existing container berths, a small amount of reclamation behind the new wharf and associated dredging. Port of Tauranga chief executive Leonard Sampson said the second interim decision was welcome, following the extensive follow-up work undertaken by the port as requested by the court.
The court has determined that, from a Western science perspective, the physical effects of the proposal are expected to be minor in the short-term and negligible in the long-term, he said. “The extension is urgently required national infrastructure and we are keen to move as quickly as possible. To that end, we will evaluate the court’s second interim decision and assess our options in relation to the impending fast-track legislation,” he said.
The port’s long-planned container terminal extension is also on the Government list of priority projects to be considered for fast-track approval under legislation currently before Parliament. The stage one extension is one part of the port’s proposed Stella Passage development, which includes a stage two to the Sulphur Point extension as well as proposed works at the Mount Maunganui wharves.
