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Manukau port expansion?


Zoe

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Interesting to read in the paper today that the expansion of the wiri port is being re looked at.

 

I live on the manukau harbour (cliff edge!) and spend a lot of time in and on the water. What would the effect of the dredging of the bar and the channel be?

 

If anyone knows I would love to know more.

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Zoe, I think what is meant is an inland container storage depot. I doubt that the Harbour board would consider actually bringing large commercial shipping into the Manukau. The costs just of dredging would be huge.

I'm not certain but I think Tauranga port has an inland port in Wiri as well.

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No someone is trying to raise the funds to conduct a feasibility study on it... I

Agree seems unlikely but they obviously are looking at it.

Apparently poal dismissed it in the 90s as too

Expensive.

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Too Expensive is right.

 

It is not looking at expanding the current port but building a new one up the Papakura Ch.

 

If you take a look at the chart you will realise how much dredging there would need to be to allow vessels larger than currently visit.

Dredging the Bar would be extremely expensive - potentially every few months just to keep the port open - if that turned out to be the case the port may require it's own dredge.

Currently the bar gets re-surveyed after every good blow as the channel changes.

If they want to increase the current draft restriction (6.0m) to the depth that is currently available in other ports ~ 13metres (and due to increase shortly) there would be significant dredging in the upper reach of the Papakura Channel.

 

A good chunk of the dredging's would be used to reclaim land for the new port - if aiming to rival Tauranga they might need more than 70ha of land.

 

Also will the international airport be affected by the ships crossing nearer to the runway?

 

The environmental impact studies will be required to take forever base on one west coast development that has nowhere near the impact an entire new port would have.

 

I would not invest in it.

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It will never happen. The first point to that is the fact they are not putting their own money into it. If they cannot come up with or not willing to come up with $250K of their own money to carry out the feasibility study, then they don't have what it will take to take this further.

The second point is resource consent would take years and the cost would make that initial $250K look like small change.

Thirdly is as already stated. Cost of dredging would then make resource consent costs look like small change. Add o the $4bill to develop the Port and it just wouldn't be feasible.

Fourthly would be going back to the Resource consent issues and the changes to Tidal flow in the harbour. It would dramatically change the Harbour and I doubt anyone would get past the Greenies.

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A study would need to be done and that would need modeling. Anything any of us could offer now would be a guess and very inaccurate. But the main point would be that a deep channel would cause a faster Flood and Ebb and "directionalize" the current sufficiently that the result would be changes to Tidal Mudflats and the network of channels. It could result in the Harbour becoming deeper, or may result in it becoming shallower. Hard to say because so many dynamics come into play. It could thus affect water quality, although I imagine it may improve it... maybe. But any changes to water quality would also impact on fish species and habitats. I would only be guessing as to what impact that would be. Those possible changes would become more apparent in modeling.

Then there is the Mud stirred up by dredging and then the dumping issues, which also require resource consent and is expensive.

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Thanks - so I won't bank on being able to moor a keeler off the bottom of my garden in the next ten years then. Will have to wait for global warming and rising sea levels instead. :-)

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A study would need to be done and that would need modeling. Anything any of us could offer now would be a guess and very inaccurate.

and is expensive.

Are you sure you're not a consultant Wheels? I've got just the opportunity for you - I could give you a straight answer but to do so you will need to give me a lot of money, and then the answer will probably require you to spend more money :lol: :lol:

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Awesome idea!

 

It would have so many benefits to so many people.

 

1. It would reduce travel time and costs for all freight companies, and shipping companies arriving from the west, which is most of it. mostly

 

2. In turn the POA would be more competitive than POT to the customer who currently have to steam around the top of the North Island to get to POA and POT. what about the ships going to Panama...

 

3. The POA can de establish the current port and make billions selling the land ( back to the ACC?) Or privately? or lease it out like princes wharf

 

4. Yachties can get there harbour back and the threat of disaster, if one of the hundreds of ships that use the Gulf does A Rena, will be gone forever. think Orpheus but with a much larger ship and lots of fuel oil ending up in the Manukau as the alternative :sick:

 

5. The current port could be developed into something spectacular. Apartments are the current flavour :evil:

 

6. POA can be come POM which seems apt considering the POM'S in the Union. Doubt Munz would never get a foot in the door at a new port

 

7. Auckland traffic congestion around the city to motorway links will ease due to no container truck, etc... likely :thumbup:

 

Funny thing is I mentioned this before in another thread.

 

Someones listening..

 

I take it you will assist in funding????

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I think this is a great idea :thumbup:

The resource consent won't take long, as all you numb nuts that voted for John Key, specifically so he can bulldoze through legislation for projects of National significance. The key thing is political motivation. As Auckland Council own POA, and the Auckland Council Mayor is left leaning, I'm sure National will push this through just to spite Len Brown.

Would be great to spend the asset sales money on this, investing back in key infrastructure, significantly cut freight costs and time, won't need to rebuild half of Aucklands motorways as the heavy traffic won't be rumbling through the CBD, selling POA land would be a huge windfall for all us ratepayers, and Zoe can park her keeler at the bottom of the garden.

A win win all round :D

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Hay Rigger,

Question on navigation. How different would the Manakau bar be, once dredged, to the Tauranga entrance with the tidal stream etc?

Noting things have changed a fair bit since the Orpheus ran aground, mainly they don't use flags and pigeons for communicating any more.

Tauranga isn't exposed to the prevailing gales etc, but what about ship manoeuvring etc? Would it be much different?

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Surprising amount of water in channal, on chart anyway

 

Another bonus would be less shipping hazards around the north

image.jpg

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On the less hazards around the north - which way do you think ships will go when heading to - from the States / South America?

More shipping thru Cook Strait as well.

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