Contaminant removal slows Whanganui Port redevelopment but concrete going down soon

Concrete Structures is set to pour 200 truckloads of concrete at Whanganui Port in the next few weeks. Photo / Mike Tweed

Removing contaminants has slowed redevelopment work at the Whanganui Port but 200 truckloads – 1000 cubic metres – of concrete are set to be poured in the next few weeks.

The result will be a pavement hardstand and structures over the water capable of taking Q-West Boat Builders’ 380-tonne capacity mobile boat hoist, which alone weighs 140 tonnes.

It is stage one of Whanganui District Council’s section of Te Pūwaha – the Whanganui port revitalisation project – and is being completed by Concrete Structures.

Whanganui Port chairman Mark Petersen said the plan was to have Q-West’s electric-hybrid ferry – a 34.5m vessel being built for Auckland Transport – on the hardstand in the first quarter of next year.

He said there had been a delay of about six months as workers removed or contained asbestos and hydrocarbons on the site.

Contaminated materials removed from the site were stockpiled under geotextile fabric, which retained water.

“We encapsulate what we can and remove what we have to. We’ve already sent a fair chunk to Bonny Glen [a landfill site near Turakina],” Petersen said.

“You can’t take risks with this stuff.

“Any industrial area that’s been operating for 100 years or more is going to have these issues.”

He said scientific testing on the hydrocarbons was ongoing, with possible sources being the railway track that used to run through the site or old Mobil fuel tanks above it.

Te Pūwaha project director Hayden Turoa said all parties involved in the project were “putting the awa first”.

Contaminated materials are stockpiled under geotextile fabric, which retains water. Photo / Mike Tweed

“It’s eye-opening when you see the long-term degradation our awa has experienced,” he said.

“The asbestos is one thing, but with some of the hydrocarbons, it’s amazing to understand they’ve been essentially leaking for the better part of a century.

“Resolving that issue entirely will be a massive outcome.”

Water in the area was “beautiful” 100 years ago but quality had dropped over the past 30 to 40 years, he said.

“If we can readjust and get back on track, we can look after our river and create a pristine environment for our fish, our community and our economy.”

The port had a special place in people’s childhood memories, Turoa said.

“They share about how they spent time fishing and lots of their families and loved ones worked there.

“You realise you know very little compared to our community.

“We’ve been finding ways to make sure they feel constantly involved and can feed in directly and give us advice about how to do this right.”

There are three stages of council work at the port.

As well as the hardstand (stage one), the project includes 450m of upgraded wharves, marine infrastructure and improved dredging capabilities.

Petersen said dredging was “a fairly decent-sized task” on its own.

A short-term consent has been secured for a working channel around the wharves and another is currently before Horizons Regional Council.

“That is to create a working port area and [to address] years of silt,” he said.

“It’s going to take a bit of time to test various bits of kit and come up with a final answer.

“At the moment, the complete focus is getting this hardstand complete so Q-West can get their boat out and get their work done.”

Part of the consent involves a proposal to close the hole in the training wall enclosing the port basin.

Petersen said from his understanding, “the port [authority] in its past life” decided creating the hole would mean the river flowed through and took material with it.

Mark Petersen (right) in August 2023, signing the contract for stage one of the port project alongside Concrete Structures' John Pohlen.

“That hasn’t worked very well, it would be fair to say.

“It’s caused a lot of scouring but it’s also delivered us silt from up the river, and it is a very silt-laden river.”

The total budget for the project is now about $50 million.

The district council had to provide additional debt funding of $19m last year – to be paid off over 20 to 25 years – to cover rising costs.

Kānoa, the Government’s regional economic development and investment unit, put in $12.5m.

Petersen said the Government was unlikely to put any more funding into the port redevelopment.

“We continue to talk to them and it would be nice to get some more contribution, but you’ve got a Government that’s cutting expenditure at a fairly rapid rate.

“You get what you can and you live within your means if you can.”

A diving platform was also being worked on, he said.

“At the moment, kids will jump off the highest object they can and have the most fun they can, but it’s not particularly safe.

“We’ll give them somewhere safe – away from recreational fishers or business operations down here.”

Petersen said once the project was finished, the port would be able to compete with “smaller boat facilities” such as Port Nelson.

“Having an internationally significant boat builder on your port just adds to it.”

Mike Tweed is a multimedia journalist at the Whanganui Chronicle. Since starting in March 2020, he has dabbled in everything from sport to music. At present, his focus is local government, primarily Whanganui District Council.