Fast-Tracked Travesty

The Port of Tauranga wants to extend wharves further into the waters of Ngāti Kūku and Ngāi Tūkairangi near Whareroa Marae and on Te Pari ō Te Tai (Sulphur Point), and to dredge Te Awanui (Tauranga Harbour), piling sand on a key roosting area for endangered native birds and dumpling thousands of tonnes of dredged material in marine habitats.

The Port has the support of the current Government to progress these activities under Fast-Track consenting legislation that was rushed through Parliament with only 11 days to make submissions.

This is a $4 billion enterprise majority owned by the Bay of Plenty Regional Council. Councillors to date have been unwilling to intervene in the proposed, but newly elected councillors could choose to stop this application.