Ports of Auckland to sell marinas

The Ports of Auckland will seek overseas buyers for its premium marinas at Westhaven and Hobson West on the Waitemata Harbour.

Port company chairman Neville Darrow said today the publicly owned company was starting an international tender process within the next few months.

Mr Darrow said Westhaven, which is believed to be the largest marina in the Southern Hemisphere with 1800 vessels, was a healthy business.

But the shape of the company's business in Auckland was changing over time.

It was concentrating on its container operations at the eastern end of the waterfront.

Properties that were no longer needed for container handling would be sold.

Hobson West marina was the glamour centre of the America's Cup regattas where up to 22 superyachts were berthed.

The company this evening refused to put a value on the two marinas.

Company spokeswoman Bronwen Jones said the board had only decided to seek buyers at its meeting on Monday and had no indication of buyer interest.

The company holds 17ha in the reclamation around Westhaven after a 1998 sale to developer Viaduct Harbour Holdings.

The company, other landowners and Auckland City Council are looking at potential residential development of the area between the Viaduct Harbour to west of the Harbour Bridge.

In June, the company sold 6000sq m of the Eastern Viaduct, adjacent to Te Wero Island in the Viaduct Harbour, to the Auckland City Council for $5.1 million.

Berth occupation rights for both marinas are restricted to September 2026 when the berths must be surrendered to the marina company for $1.