Media release late – 1
March 20, 2015

Len’s broken promise spikes wharf protest

Len Brown’s promise to consult with Aucklanders over Ports of Auckland’s expansion plans (NZ Herald, 20 March) is not only too little too late – it’s also a repeat of what he pledged in August 2013.

So says Auckland protest group Stop Stealing Our Harbour which is urging the port company to halt all work on Bledisloe Wharf extensions until the mayor’s promised study is complete.

Group spokesperson Michael Goldwater asks where the mayor has been for the past two years.

“Mayor Brown is saying it’s time for a conversation about the port but his words are hollow and simply apologist spin.

“Mr Brown promised a conversation with Aucklanders in 2013, committing to a robust stage 2 study before any decision on whether or not the port could expand. It hasn’t happened.”

Mr Goldwater says the mayor has plainly chosen his side and it is not with the people of Auckland.

“The mayor admits the public was not notified nor given an opportunity to object to the wharf expansion. The port company doesn’t mince words, it fully intends to reclaim between the wharf extensions. What it will amount to is a $40 million dollar view of parked cars and big cargo ships.

“The scale of the expansion will sabotage the irreplaceable Queens Wharf views Aucklanders paid for. Due to the efforts of Ports of Auckland they will be lost to future generations. Aucklanders have had enough. The fact there has been no proper consultation means we are now having to come out in protest.”

Mr Goldwater says work on the extensions should immediately stop and the long term view debated and decided via the overdue study taking in to account broader social, economic and environmental outcomes.

The two-finger extensions to Bledisloe Wharf will project 100m in to the Waitemata Harbour, reducing its width at that point by approximately 10 per cent. Construction is due to begin next month (April).

The Stop Stealing Our Harbour group is organising a land and sea protest against the extensions on Sunday 22 March at 3.30pm on Queens Wharf and in the harbour opposite Bledisloe Wharf.

Stop Stealing Our Harbour protest details:

What: Maritime and land protest against Bledisloe Wharf extensions by Ports of Auckland
When: 3.30pm, Sunday March 22
Where: On Queens Wharf public gathering at 3.30pm
On the water muster opposite Bledisloe Wharf and then proceed past Queens Wharf – listen on Channel 27 VHS
Who: Opponents to ports land grab including Auckland boating groups

About Stop Stealing Our Harbour:
Stop Stealing Our Harbour wants Ports of Auckland to halt all work on Bledisloe Wharf extensions until a complete Stage 2 study is complete. It is an advocacy group comprising representatives of boating, political, business, and professional organisations as well as lawyers and architects.

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