Auckland Port Expansion

[MarkMT 68]

Difficult decisions. Latest report due out today but some details apparently leaked...

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11666561

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11666394

https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/location-could-replace-aucklands-inner-city-port

 

They're looking ultimately at container volumes roughly 10x the current - too much apparently for Tauranga or Whangarei. I've previously been unimpressed with the idea of expanding the existing port (though more so the lack of consultation & debate). But of the two other options, Manukau hardly seems realistic for obvious reasons and from a recreational/environmental point of view it seems a shame to rip into a greenfield site like Waimangu Point.

 

I guess we'll see the full report sometime soon.

[erice 732]

the unspoken gist?

 

they want the three ports to work together to handle the increased volume for the upper north island

 

while they start the 10 year? project of getting everyone on board for kawakawa bay (not much dredging needed and the roading infrastructure required would help open up more prime housing land, ferry services )

 

failing getting that past greenies and other stake holders wanting loads-a-money

 

somewhere more economically depressed and begging for work

 

like miranda, kaiaua (mega dredging in bird wetland)

 

or thames (too far away by road) 

[waikiore 400]

Yes for obvious reasons the west coast wont happen, and Manukau now closed to shipping of any size, so we are left with the Firth- but who will pay?

[Frickie 9]

That sort of long term infrastructure can pay for itself - but you would want to be sure of the projections. 10 x current container volumes sounds like a lot.

[SloopJohnB 322]

Not when you consider the amount of poms & yanks looking at NZ.

 

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11666757

[erice 732]

the gov. seem keen on public infrastructure being developed with private money

 

and if kiwis want a port and some else to pay for it there is a model 

 

(Chinese Overseas Port Holding Company) will expand Gwadar Port, Pakistan, with construction of nine new multipurpose berths on 3.2 kilometers of seafront to the east of the existing multipurpose berths.^[19] COPHC will also build cargo terminals in the 12 kilometers of land to the north and northwest of the site along the the shoreline of the Demi Zirr bay.^[19]

In total, COPHC has awarded $1.02 billion worth of contracts for expansion of the port.^[20] In addition to construction of nine berths and cargo terminals, plans for expanded port infrastructure also include several projects that will be financed by loans extended by Chinese state owned banks.

 

Following the completion of Phase I, the Government of Pakistan in February 2007 signed a 40-year agreement with Ports of Singapore for development and operation of the port, 

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gwadar_Port

 

The Iranian city of Chabahar is all set to host a Chinese-built industrial town as part of China’s role to develop Iran’s sole ocean port.

 

http://www.presstv.com/Detail/2016/04/27/462797/China-CMI-Iran-mega-port

 

personally i think emirates should have been allowed to buy auckland airport and turn it into a huge round the world hub

 

but kiwis didn't want arab ownership

 

i don't think they'd want chinese money paying chinese contractors to rip up kawakawa either, let alone allow them a 50 year? right of rule

[harrytom 648]

not going to happen for 30/50yrs by then i will be pushing up daisies.

[madyottie 82]

Of course, there is no need for a port on the Manukau to be accessed from the west coast. Think outside the box...

 

A short canal from the Otahuhu creek and it's all taken care of. Lock in and out according to the tides. Would even go right past the westfield trainyards, and if planned correctly could offload some FCL containers there, directly onto the rail system.

 

One big bonus of that is the ships would all come and go together, leaving the water free for the rec. users like us. It would have to be a fat canal tho, big enough to hold a few superships at each tide.

 

A second bonus is it would open up another patch of water for the keelboats and multi's, as long as they let us lock through as well. 

 

Or perhaps stick with the existing port as an load/offload-only facility, where all the boxes are lifted straight onto a dedicated rail link to somewhere for sorting. Perhaps they could give Alice a job and tunnel them to wherever. Maybe that Wherever is the existing Onehunga wharf, expanded accordingly.

 

And if it's not being paid for by the taxpayer, then why not??

[madyottie 82]

They be broke already.

 

Why should they? Port Companies are private companies and make money for their shareholders, some very nice coin as well thank you. If the public was to own it then that's a different story but we both know one way or another the public will be shafted at some stage so just not going there in the first pace is best.

 

Oops, my bad! 

 

I must've used the wrong grammar there somewhere.

 

What I meant was "If the taxpayer isn't paying, then why shouldn't some private enterprise build something awesome and future-proof?" 

 

What I didn't mean was " Why aren't the taxpayer paying?"

[madyottie 82]

Just thinking further, why build on existing land? If some of those asian countries can literally build land for airports etc, why can't we do it for a port? 

 

Or build an island/breakwater a few miles off the west coast, sheltering the Manukau entrance.

 

Couple that with my canal idea, and ships can enter from either side, depending on where they are coming from.

 

Now that could open up some real interesting race ideas! Start off orakei, out and around waiheke, through the canal (with a stop-over) then out through the manukau, around Mad island (Hey, my idea, my naming rights ) and back again. 

[harrytom 648]

Ok they want want to shift the port due to the increase of container movements. Now begs the question.Why,why do we need a port to receive imported goods? Why not start to do our own manufacturing of furniture etc and send them off in containers instead of whole logs.Bugger the cost you want our goods this is the price, Ok we would never compete in car manufacturing here,,we will import your cars but must take so many tonne of our beef/lamb etc

 

The idea of a canal between otahuhu and onehunga is nothing new,from memory that is what old Sir Robbie wanted,just look at mangere sewage plant,robbie's idea 40yr ago?

[madyottie 82]

Yeah, it's less than a  k across the island there. 

 

That's probably not actually long enough if the ships get much bigger, could be too short to hold them.

 

Speaking of the Mangere sewage works, they're doing an upgrade at present, supposed to have capacity for several million Aucklanders.

[madyottie 82]

Make a Island, Holy crap do you realise the Taniwha cost in doing that. 

 

Ever noticed how the Taniwha seem to be ignored if the builders are chinese?

 

Just sayin!

[wheels 543]

 

Ok they want want to shift the port due to the increase of container movements. Now begs the question.Why,why do we need a port to receive imported goods? Why not start to do our own manufacturing of furniture etc and send them off in containers instead of whole logs.Bugger the cost you want our goods this is the price,

First off, many of the Containers that come across PoA are empty, believe it or not.

Why do we import goods? because people buy based on price. Most of you here on Crew already complain about the price we pay for goods in NZ as against what you pay for the same overseas. Then there is the cheap crap made to be cheap produced in China and a few other Countries. If we all bought NZ made, there would be  less stuff coming across the Ports and People would have jobs and small Businesses.

However, apart from People wanting to pay less for something rather that support their Country, we also have large scale overseas industries ( likes of Weyerhauser, which is a US company) stripping our Timber and shipping it off overseas as well. The result is that our NZ mills have to pay premium dollar for the Trees and we the consumer have to pay top price for the sawn timber.

Then there is this "Global Free Trade" business that Gvts are trying to sign and not sign. That means We scratch someones back with their Tomatoes and they scratch ours by taking our Butter or Milk Powder.

Then finally there is the cost of Shipping and that those companies are trying to reduce costs, so they ship more with less Ships by making the Ships bigger.

[erice 732]

for those interested 

 

in china's $17,000,000,000,000

 

silk road infrastructure plans 

 

for 60 countries

 

no nz

 

 

http://www.economist.com/news/china/21701505-chinas-foreign-policy-could-reshape-good-part-world-economy-our-bulldozers-our-rules