Leonard Sampson, the Chief Executive of the Port of Tauranga, has complained that a lack of infrastructure development approval is proving detrimental to shipping in New Zealand and that nation’s economy.
“We are currently turning away shipping services that want to call at Tauranga, which is negatively impacting the New Zealand economy,” Mr Sampson said in an official media statement.
The complaint relates to the long-drawn-out process of developing the Stella Passage Project.
A few days ago, at the end of November, Port of Tauranga announced that the NZ Minister for Infrastructure, the Hon Chris Bishop MP (National Party), has accepted its request to refer the Stella Passage development resource consent application to a fast-track process.
The application is the same as that lodged with the Environmental Protection Authority in April this year as a “listed project” under schedule 2 of the Fast-track Approvals Act 2024.
The new application is running in parallel with the Port’s listed project application, which is currently on hold following a judicial review by the High Court. In a decision issued on 27 August, the Court determined that the Environmental Protection Authority should not have accepted the application as the project was not exactly as described in schedule 2 of the Act.
The Government is seeking to rectify the legislative drafting error through the Fast-track Approvals Amendment Bill, currently before the Environment Select Committee. Ministers are reportedly hopeful, according to the Port of Tauranga, that the Bill will be passed into legislation by the end of the year. However, if this proves impossible, the Port hopes to avoid further delays by having an alternative, direct referral application already under way.
According to the Port, the Environment Court has already established that the environmental impact from the Stella Passage development will be minor in the short-term and negligible in the long-term. The Port reports it has been unable to reach agreement with opposing parties on the appropriate levels of mitigation for cultural mitigation.
The Stella Passage development is described by the port as being of regional and national significance. It involves extending the Sulphur Point container berth by 385 metres (in two stages) and the Mount Maunganui wharves by 315 metres, and by converting existing cargo storage land within the port’s current footprint. The project also involves associated dredging for the vessel turning circle along with reclamation of land directly behind the new wharves.
