Chalkie on Ports of Auckland

Chalkie writes at Stuff:

Last year, Auckland Council spent $82 million on consultancy and professional advice.

Ouch.

This may sound extravagant but Chalkie reckons we should adjust our thinking. Expensive consultancy is surely a sign of civilisation and the democratic process, whereas absolute power means never having to justify your actions with an independent report.

After all, did Vladimir Putin hire an accountancy firm to consider the costs and benefits of invading eastern Ukraine?

True, but there is a happy mid point!

The NZIER report concludes, as have other studies, that Auckland’s port will run into capacity constraints as the economy grows and ships get bigger.

“Ultimately POAL will either lose business or need more land, structures or berth-capacity to allow for the future demand,” the NZIER says.

The predicted timescale is 20 years, but the issue is really the same whether it’s 10 years or 25 years – how big should the port be?

Chalkie reckons the port is Auckland’s commercial heart and its bustling presence is a constant reminder of what makes the city tick, but as a regular harbour-goer he has recently been struck by the huge sprawl of Fergusson’s extended terminal at the port’s eastern end, which looms a lot closer to the North Shore than it used to.

Would a further 5.3-hectares less water be oppressive? It’s hard to say. More than 230ha of harbour has been filled in since the mid-19th century, covering well over a third of the original waterscape.

I think the long-term solution in both Auckland and Wellington is to move the ports from the current prime locations on the waterfront. This land is too valuable to be used for containers and logs. It could be used for amazing cafes, bars, accomodation, parks etc. The waterfront is now the crown jewel in a city. It wasn’t 100 years ago, but times have changed and long-term the ports should be in places like Manukau and Petone – industrial areas. Yes it will cost a lot to move them, but it would be w worthwhile long-term investment for better cities.