The existing jetty and single boat ramp at Rangitane, on the northern side of Kerikeri Inlet. The reclamation, if approved, will be built on the right of the ramp in this photo. Photo / Peter de Graaf
The existing jetty and single boat ramp at Rangitane, on the northern side of Kerikeri Inlet. The reclamation, if approved, will be built on the right of the ramp in this photo. Photo / Peter de Graaf
A controversial plan to reclaim part of Kerikeri Inlet and build a new boat ramp has been put on hold while a second cultural impact assessment report is prepared.
The project, at Rangitane on the northern side of the inlet, was granted $2.4 million from the Government's Covid Recovery Fundin 2020, and the Far North District Council was expected to contribute another $1.2m.
It includes a double-width boat ramp, replacing a broken jetty, and reclaiming about 6400sq m of seabed at Rangitane Loop Rd for a parking area with space for 12 cars and 16 boat trailers.
In September last year the project was given the green light to apply for fast-tracked consent under the Covid-19 Recovery Act, allowing it to bypass the time-consuming Resource Management Act process.
A consent decision was to have been made by a Government-appointed expert panel within 45 working days but the process is now on hold.
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The Advocate understands local hapū Ngāti Rēhia had already completed a cultural impact assessment (CIA) but a second one from the wider Ngāpuhi iwi is now required.
Sam Napia, chief executive of Te Rūnanga ā iwi ō Ngāpuhi, said the reclamation was a significant proposal.
Under the fast-track process, the CIA was the one safeguard for the interests of tangata whenua in terms of assessing the proposal and its effects on the environment.
''So it's important that the CIA is completed in accordance with statutory requirements, and in such a manner that it provides the necessary information to the panel to enable them to make an informed decision. That's the material thing. Any concerns anyone might have about who was supposed to write the CIA, that's essentially unimportant. What is important is the proposal and its effect on the environment.''
The existing jetty and single boat ramp at Rangitane, on the northern side of Kerikeri Inlet. Photo / Peter de Graaf
According to the Environmental Protection Authority website, the fast-track process for the Rangitane reclamation is currently suspended.
The suspension had been requested by council-owned company Far North Holdings, which is managing the project, ''to provide an opportunity to engage with and respond to matters raised by Te Rūnanga ā Iwi o Ngāpuhi''.
In a letter to the authority, the rūnanga, through its lawyers, said the fast-track application was ''fatally flawed'' because it failed to include a CIA from the rūnanga, as required under the Act.
Far North Holdings engagement manager Alastair Wells said Government funding for the project was not threatened by the delay.
Shane Jones, who announced the funding when he was Regional Economic Development Minister, said ''Kiwis of all persuasions'' should be able to enjoy the coast and launch a boat.
Rangitane was well-suited for a new marine facility because of its existing infrastructure. Jones said it was an ''awful outcome'' that Ngāpuhi had put the brakes on the project and hired expensive lawyers to do so.
''I realise some Rangitane residents oppose the project but they don't own the inlet,'' he said.
One camp, represented by the Rangitane Residents Association, is concerned about increased traffic, the risk to the area's kiwi population, and lack of future-proofing because of the site's limited space.
The other camp, represented by the Rangitane Recreation Association, says the current boat ramp is unsafe, as is the use of roadsides for parking given the narrow roads and lack of footpaths in the area.
The residents association holds the consent for jetty renewal and wants that part of the project to go ahead, but not the reclamation.
Under fast-track legislation, consent applications don't have to be notified and hearings are at the panel's discretion. The right to appeal consent decisions is also limited. Any consent issued, however, must be consistent with the Treaty of Waitangi.
