The Country
  • The Country home
  • Latest news
  • Audio & podcasts
  • Opinion
  • Dairy farming
  • Sheep & beef farming
  • Rural business
  • Rural technology
  • Rural life
  • Listen on iHeart radio

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • Coast & Country News
  • Opinion
  • Dairy farming
  • Sheep & beef farming
  • Horticulture
  • Animal health
  • Rural business
  • Rural technology
  • Rural life

Media

  • Podcasts
  • Video

Weather

  • Kaitaia
  • Whāngarei
  • Dargaville
  • Auckland
  • Thames
  • Tauranga
  • Hamilton
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Tokoroa
  • Te Kuiti
  • Taumurunui
  • 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

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 / The Country

Move to scuttle Russell Wharf plan includes threat of legal review

By Lindy Laird
Northern Advocate·
3 May, 2018 01:00 AM3 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 wharf is Russell's State Highway 1, say developers who want to upgrade it. Photo / File

The wharf is Russell's State Highway 1, say developers who want to upgrade it. Photo / File

A Tauranga man says he has lodged notice with Northland Regional Council that he is calling for a judicial review concerning proposals for Russell Wharf.

Doug Owens said he notified the Northland Regional (NRC) and Far North Holdings (FNH) Ltd yesterday a legal team was preparing for the review.

The non-notifiable consent application by FNH for plans to increase the size of the building on the wharf was approved by the NRC earlier this year.

Read more: Mixed reaction to council's plan to sell Russell Wharf for $1

Owens' notice of intent went to NRC as the consent-issuing authority and FNH as the consent holder.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

At edition time neither of those organisations were able to confirm if they had received notice of the proposed legal review.

Currently the wharf is owned by the district council, with FNH responsible for routine maintenance.

Owens has been outspoken against the proposal to transfer its ownership.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

He has also criticised its inclusion in the draft long-term plan, and questioned the transparency of processes relating to the wharf.

''It is now clear that the staging of the proposed transfer was to coincide with the FNDC Long Term Plan process.''

Owens claimed a business case has never been made available to the public.

''Wharves such as Russell do not make money and ongoing maintenance remains the elephant in the room.''

Once it owns the wharf, FNH and its partner community group, the Russell Wharf and Waterfront Trust (RWWT), plan to increase commercial berths as well as enlarge the building to house a cafe and information centre.

FNH's public relations spokesman Peter Heath described claims the wharf would effectively be privatised ''as alarmist hogwash''.

''The wharf is not being moved out of public control. In fact, the public currently have very little say or control about what happens with that wharf. Under the shared governance arrangement, the community will have a far greater say."

Heath said the wharf is in a bad state of repair and is more of a liability than an asset. FNH wants to develop it using $1.114 million Provincial Growth Funding offered by Regional Development Minister Shane Jones.

The ''Shane Jones'' offer came unexpectedly while the wharf's future was already being discussed, and enabled the plans to expand, Heath said.

That was why there were three spearate non-notifiable conset applications, he said.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Of 13 specific projects in the Long Term Plan, the wharf proposal received the most submissions: 557 in a total of 866, most in favour of the hand-over.

Waterfront trust (RWWT) chairman Riki Kinnaird disputes some submitters' claims there was little public consultation.

"The residents of Russell listened for weeks and weeks to the arguments both for and against transfer of the wharf and decided by a two thirds majority to submit to the long-term plan in favour of the transfer.

''We believe everyone has a voice [but] when the majority of our town get organised, partner with people who can help, and want to move forward the actions of a noisy few should not be allowed to dominate either the democratic process or, as an important part of that process, the media agenda,'' he said.

''Our community is being creative to safeguard its future prospects. We, and most of the townspeople of Russell, believe sincerely that a partnership approach with Far North Holdings is the best way to safeguard the future of the wharf.''

Save

    Share this article

Latest from The Country

The Country

'Lunacy': Farmers fight cuts to Taranaki agriculture courses

The Country

Rural community 'in shock' as industrial park greenlit

Premium
The Country

More than half of Crown Regional Holdings' loan book flagged as 'at risk'


Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from The Country

'Lunacy': Farmers fight cuts to Taranaki agriculture courses
The Country

'Lunacy': Farmers fight cuts to Taranaki agriculture courses

WITT plans to scrap agriculture courses, worrying the Taranaki farming community.

16 Jul 10:23 PM
Rural community 'in shock' as industrial park greenlit
The Country

Rural community 'in shock' as industrial park greenlit

16 Jul 09:04 PM
Premium
Premium
More than half of Crown Regional Holdings' loan book flagged as 'at risk'
The Country

More than half of Crown Regional Holdings' loan book flagged as 'at risk'

16 Jul 08:54 PM


Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

06 Jul 09:47 PM
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