NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / New Zealand

Ports of Auckland 'executive member' reportedly makes private apology to Auckland Council over CEO's comments

Tom Dillane
By Tom Dillane
Reporter/Deputy Head of News·NZ Herald·
3 May, 2019 05:00 PM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

The NZ Herald tests out the time it takes to drive along Quay Street at 4.45 PM on a Friday evening.

Ports of Auckland has gone into damage control with a reported private call of apology to Auckland Council after their chief executive last week said he wasn't informed when the Quay St road works would start.

Last Saturday, the Weekend Herald reported Ports of Auckland (PoAL) chief executive Tony Gibson claimed he had not been informed by Auckland Transport (AT) of the Quay St roadworks beginning before the public.

Gibson said PoAL management were aware of the $321 million "enhancement" plans for Quay St in downtown Auckland, but were given no forewarning of construction actually beginning in December 2018.

On April 28, a day after Gibson's comments were published, Auckland Councillor Chris Darby tweeted:

"This morning an @AucklandsPort executive member called in and conveyed an apology to council for the inaccurate statements reported in the @nzherald. It appears their chief executive was misinformed by the in-house communications team. I accept the port company's apology."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

This morning an @AucklandsPort executive member called in and conveyed an apology to council for the inaccurate statements reported in the @nzherald. It appears their chief executive was misinformed by the in-house communications team. I accept the port company's apology.

— Chris DARBY (@DarbyatCouncil) April 28, 2019

It is not clear who the PoAL "executive member" was who made the call, and Darby himself and PoAL would not confirm the identity.

When Gibson was asked by the Weekend Herald to verify the reported phone call he said: "Ports of Auckland will not be making any further comments".

The PoAL communications team also said they "appreciate" the Herald trying to "offer us balance, but on this occasion we'd rather not say anything further".

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Quay St is having a major overhaul that is causing headaches for vehicles and pedestrians. Photo / Dean Purcell
Quay St is having a major overhaul that is causing headaches for vehicles and pedestrians. Photo / Dean Purcell

Darby himself was steadfast in the veracity of the PoAL apology this week, and in the inaccuracy of Gibson's original Quay St comments.

"What I said is entirely accurate in those tweets. I don't just fire stuff out without thinking. I might be wrong sometimes but I'm not wrong in that instance, OK," Darby told the Weekend Herald.

"There have been some offline discussions earlier this week, there's been an agreement that we need to focus on the challenges ahead and that's what we'll be doing.

"What I would like to say is we'd probably like to just move on because we've got a massive focus downtown and we do and are working extremely closely with the port company, and other big stake holders."

Discover more

Construction

Here to stay? Waterfront car park rising at Auckland port

13 May 02:52 AM
New Zealand

Mayoral race heats up: John Tamihere proposes selling Ports of Auckland

13 May 10:00 PM
Business

Ports of Tauranga ho-hum about buying Ports of Auckland

15 May 05:03 AM
Approximately 2000 trucks enter the Ports of Auckland daily. Photo / Jason Oxenham
Approximately 2000 trucks enter the Ports of Auckland daily. Photo / Jason Oxenham

In the Weekend Herald last week, Gibson claimed that he, nor PoAL management were precisely aware of the start date of the Quay St works.

"Our infrastructure manager, Alistair Kirk, sits on a number of committees which includes what was going on around Quay St, and at no time at those meetings were we ever informed about when it was likely to happen," Gibson said.

When directly asked by the Weekend Herald to clarify that he was not warned of the Quay St roadworks start date he said: "We were not told when, no."

A day before Darby Tweeted that the PoAL had apologised, on April 27, the Auckland Councillor had explicitly refuted Gibson's claim that PoAL infrastructure manager, Alistair Kirk, could be ignorant of the Quay St works start date.

"To suggest the port company's Infrastructure Manager knew nothing about the Quay St works, when he's been at the multi-party table discussing all the ins and outs of the downtown programme of works, is complete bollocks," Darby Tweeted.

The projects currently impacting Quay St are the strengthening of the sea wall. Photo / Dean Purcell
The projects currently impacting Quay St are the strengthening of the sea wall. Photo / Dean Purcell

AT chief executive Shane Ellison maintained last week that PoAL had been involved in planning for the waterfront with AT since early 2017 but he did not specify whether Gibson had been told before the public of the start date.

"Since mid-2018, PoAL representatives have participated in regular stakeholder meetings involving PoAL representatives covering many issues important to them – this includes addressing concerns raised around access to Queens Wharf and Princes Wharf, both during and after utilities relocations, and in the lead-up to the start of main works."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Save

    Share this article

Latest from New Zealand

live
New Zealand

Fresh flood threat as thunderstorms, gales lash north; south braces for another deluge

10 Jul 07:00 PM
Wellington

Sir Peter Jackson expands property empire with purchase of school campus

10 Jul 07:00 PM
New Zealand

Herald NOW Weather: July 11, 2025

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from New Zealand

Fresh flood threat as thunderstorms, gales lash north; south braces for another deluge
live

Fresh flood threat as thunderstorms, gales lash north; south braces for another deluge

10 Jul 07:00 PM

Electrical storms are set to hit at evening rush as Auckland braces for 16 hours of rain.

Sir Peter Jackson expands property empire with purchase of school campus

Sir Peter Jackson expands property empire with purchase of school campus

10 Jul 07:00 PM
Herald NOW Weather: July 11, 2025

Herald NOW Weather: July 11, 2025

Premium
'A sad loss': Why this prostate cancer treatment is 'disappearing' in NZ

'A sad loss': Why this prostate cancer treatment is 'disappearing' in NZ

10 Jul 06:24 PM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP