Herald broke news of wharf extensions to Auckland Mayor Len Brown

A huge public backlash against the extensions has led to a change of tack by Mr Brown and the council. Photo / Dean Purcell.

Len Brown admits he did not know about wharf extensions before call from reporter.

Auckland Mayor Len Brown has conceded the first he knew about two wharf extensions at the Ports of Auckland was from the Herald.

Mr Brown had previously indicated he knew about the finger wharves at Bledisloe Wharf before the Herald broke the story on February 11.

After Herald inquiries into who at Auckland Council and its subsidiaries knew of the contentious extensions, Mr Brown acknowledged he had been kept in the dark.

His office said: "The mayor became aware of this matter on February 11 as a result of media inquiries ... [the Herald] was the first media inquiry."

A huge public backlash against the extensions and the way they were granted consent without any political or public input has led to a change of tack by Mr Brown and the council.

The mayor has gone from telling the Herald on February 11 the extensions had his blessing to calling on Ports of Auckland to halt construction until a wide-ranging study is done.

Neither the port company nor the council body overseeing it, Auckland Council Investment Ltd (ACIL), told Mr Brown about the extensions.

Ports spokesman Matt Ball said: "Our reporting line is with our shareholder, ACIL. We have kept them informed throughout."

ACIL chief executive Gary Swift said the port company told it of the planned extensions in 2014 and after the two consents were granted - in October and December 2014.

"ACIL did not deem it necessary to notify Auckland Council about the granting of these consents, though we assumed that, as the consent-granting authority, Auckland Council would have been aware of the application," Mr Swift said.

He said ACIL was reviewing with the council whether it should provide "greater visibility" of the port company's operational and development plans to the council.

Mr Brown, whose office has a "no surprises" policy with council bodies, said he had expressed disappointment to ACIL over the issue.

"My determination is to review how issues like this are communicated to ensure better oversight is provided in future," he said.

In a letter to ACIL, council chief executive Stephen Town has set out the council's expectations for ACIL to consult with it about changes to the port's footprint.

The letter also asks ACIL to "encourage" port bosses to halt the extensions until the port study is done.

Mr Swift said ACIL had taken public concern about the extensions very seriously. "Our board has written to the board of Ports of Auckland and we are awaiting their response."

It is understood the port and ACIL boards are to meet today.