Council votes to protect the Waitemata

The Auckland Council this morning voted to conduct an extensive review of the operation of the Ports of Auckland and suspend all plans for expansion into the Waitemata Harbour until further notice.

The plans would have seen the container wharves extend 250 metres into the harbour and would have enabled the port to increase container volumes by 400 per cent over the next 40 years.

Alex Swney, the chief executive of the Heart of the City business group leading the campaign against the expansion plans, says "Today was one of those days we will look back on and say this is where Auckland drew the line.

"Hats off to the council for making such a bold and positive decision on behalf of the people of Auckland.

"This decision marks the beginning of the end as much as it does the end of the beginning for the industrialisation of Auckland's waterfront," Swney says.

"After a century and a half of ports domination of our waterfront Council has taken up the opportunity within the Auckland Plan to draw a line in the sand and say enough is enough - now is the time to take a once-in-a-generation chance to review plans for our waterfront."

Acknowledging a packed public gallery at council, and in supporting the resolution to review the role of the port, Mayor Len Brown said "We need to start listening to our community not just the port." Swney said that the Auckland Council had today emphatically stated that "the narrative and will of this council has changed".

"We entered today's meeting seeking a review and we walked out with a review so in that respect we welcome this outcome. It is a victory for common sense and signals we are not on a path of 'business as usual'. We welcome the decision and look forward to working with this council on a comprehensive review," Swney said.

Deputy Chairman of the Westhaven Marina Users Association, Barry Holten said the decision was a victory for harbour users but a larger plan for the development of the Auckland waterfront was needed that included the port.

"We can't afford to leave the planning of the port up to the resource consent process. We want to see a comprehensive plan for the entire Auckland waterfront that includes the port," he said.