Ports of Auckland Won’t Appeal Court Decision

Ports of Auckland will not appeal the recent High Court decision which revoked resource consent for the Bledisloe wharf extensions, Tony Gibson, CEO of the company said.

Last week, the High Court of New Zealand set aside consents issued on a non-notified basis, granting Ports of Auckland permission for wharf extensions, saying that the applications for consent should have been bundled, which would have required notification, as the most restrictive activity was a discretionary activity.

“While the decision causes us some problems with consenting and our ability to accommodate more and longer ships, we feel that appealing this case would not produce a sustainable resolution to those issues,” said Gibson. “We will now look to Auckland Council’s ‘Future Port Study’ to help find workable, long-term solutions to Auckland’s sea freight needs.”

Gibson added that there is still an immediate need to accommodate longer ships at the port’s general cargo wharves.

“We will talk to our customers and stakeholders to try to find possible short-term solutions. We have made no decision yet on whether or not to reapply for consent for the B2 extension,” Gibson went on to say.

“Our container operations at Fergusson Terminal are not affected by this decision and continue to thrive. Over the coming months we expect to be able to announce a number of exciting new initiatives to improve that part of our business further,” he added.

Back in May, Auckland Council’s Governing Body decided to support the construction of one wharf extension and put the other on hold, which was widely criticised by the country’s cruise industry representatives.