Boaties Welcome Dredging Of Sediment-Laden Havelock Marina

Wednesday, 15 October 2025, 4:25 pm
Article: Kira Carrington - Local Democracy Reporter

Boaties checking out plans to improve Havelock Marina in Marlborough say they are thrilled after struggling to navigate the sediment-laden channel. 

The berth-holders, both commercial and recreational, had popped in to a drop-in session on the project at the Slip Inn restaurant on Tuesday. 

Port Marlborough planned to dredge and deepen the Havelock channel and marina basin, and replace three old wooden jetties with new concrete ones. 

Work was to start next year and be completed by 2027. 

Berth-holder David Eagle, whose blog Knot Nauti documented living on his boat as a family of six, said the sediment build-up made the channel so shallow he could only enter the marina at high tide. 

“The channel depth at the moment is so congested with sediment that it’s become dangerous,” Eagle said. 

“One of my boat neighbours, he actually ran aground on it and damaged his boat significantly, and damaged his propeller, and so that’s like tens of thousands of dollars.” 

So the plan to dredge the channel was wonderful news for large boat-owners, he said, adding he was surprised it hadn’t happened sooner as he considered the marina otherwise well run. 

“We as berth-holders are very fortunate to have the level of service we experience at the Havelock Marina. We often talk to other visiting boaties who make the comment of how lucky we are to be at a marina so well maintained and managed.” 

Also at the drop-in session were people from the aquaculture industry, who said they were pleased about the project as they relied on the marina to get their seafood delivered to factories. 

The project secured a $9.9 million loan from the Regional Infrastructure Fund, announced by Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones at the Havelock Mussel and Seafood Festival in March. 

The remaining $9.9m would be paid by Port Marlborough, which was owned by Marlborough District Council.

Information boards at the drop-in session showed a staged redevelopment of the piers, with new concrete jetties and a raised foreshore section to account for sea-level rise. 

The dredged material would need to be dewatered and transported for disposal to a site yet to be confirmed. 

Port Marlborough chief executive officer Rhys Welbourn said they were working with the affected berth-holders to manage where they would move their boats to during the rebuild. 

The build-up of sediment in the channel had been accelerated by several severe rain events since 2021.

“We can bring the channel back to its previous level, which means that we can then maintain that more easily over time going forward,” Welbourn said. 

“Part of this will be us instigating more frequent hydrographic surveys based on the new weather patterns, and new dredging programmes based on wet weather patterns.” 

Welbourn said the dredging would be hugely valuable to Marlborough’s aquaculture industry, which produced 60% of New Zealand’s aquaculture products. 

“Havelock is a huge centre of that industry,” he said. “So for us to be able to complete this project really sets that industry up for the future and for future growth, and their ability to utilise existing infrastructure here.” 

Recreational boaters, tourists, and Sounds residents would also be big winners from the project, Welbourn said. 

The importance of the marina for Sounds residents was highlighted after Kenepuru Rd was damaged in the 2021 and 2022 storms. 

The team was taking on board feedback from the session, he said. 

“We’re talking to each individual about what their preferences are, and then we’re going to try and come up with a solution that best fits those preferences.” 

-LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.

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