Rt Hon Winston Peters

New Zealand First Leader

Member of Parliament for Northland
1 JULY 2016

Rail And Northport For The Price Of A New Auckland Port

Aucklanders and taxpayers will end up paying a huge financial price if the main Port of Auckland is not moved to Northport, says New Zealand First.

“Appalling parochialism is keeping the port in the Auckland region despite 5.5 billion reasons why Northport is the far superior choice,” says New Zealand First Leader and Northland MP Rt Hon Winston Peters.

“Each of those 5.5 billion reasons is a dollar because that’s the cost of relocating the current port 70 kilometres to the Firth of Thames.

“Then, like dredging half of the Sahara every year to have the practical depth needed for a port, both the establishment and maintenance costs will be utterly prohibitive. The Manukau has always been a non-starter given the wild-west coast, the Manukau Bar and the need for perpetual dredging.

“If the government had an ounce of leadership and used some common sense it would insist upon a nationwide transport policy rather than permit this internecine Auckland row to continue one more day.

“For way less money than a new port for Auckland would cost, alongside all the associated infrastructure, a railway from Marsden Point and an upgrade of the Northern rail line, continuing on to South Auckland, as well as modernising Northport, is a far better option. Only Northport has the harbour depth and the flat land required for a modern port serving Auckland.

“In one fell swoop this would dramatically ease the congestion in Auckland while kicking serious regional economic development in Northland.

“The Auckland Port Study is parochial and impractical nonsense and as soon as some of Auckland’s proponents remember they don’t exist in isolation and belong to a country called New Zealand the better.

“There is one other serious additional benefit – some of New Zealand’s most expensive commercial property would cease to be used as a car yard and act as a windfall for the Auckland ratepayers. It is a win-win for everybody but venal, egotistical, self-interested parties,” says Mr Peters.

ENDS

© Scoop Media