Focus should be on port, not turf wars

Development of Marsden Pt Port has won the support of National Business Review writer Matthew Hooton and many of his readers whose analysis make it clear Northland local authorities should be focusing on the Marsden rail link as a realistic, genuine and gilt-edged key to regional development.

Writing in the February 25 NBR Hooten repeats his call for Auckland's container operations to be shifted to Marsden Pt and Tauranga over 20 years.

He points out that Auckland makes just $24m a year, or 1.3 per cent return on investment, if its port land is valued at a realistic $1.7 billion as business/residential.

By progressively closing container operations Mr Hooten argues the land could be returned to Aucklanders for "economically rational development".

However he says despite the current financial performance, the Ports of Auckland Ltd (POAL) wants to expand its operations by 18 hectares which would transform Waitemata from harbour to river and cost Auckland ratepayers over $2 billion on new roading, rail and dredging.

Even then Auckland couldn't properly cope with the huge S-class vessels becoming the norm for international trade.

Marsden Pt, says Hooten, has about 200 hectares available for immediate expansion and can already deal with S-class vessels.

One respondent to Hooten's column maintains a twin port created by extending and upgrading a rail line from Marsden Pt to a South Auckland hub and on to Tauranga would be the envy of cities everywhere.

It would also free up Auckland's Port to be developed as a South Pacific hub for cruise liners and public domain.

Another writer points out that shifting container traffic to Marsden Pt would remove one heavy vehicle every five minutes from central Auckland roads where the consequent freeing up of the traffic flow would be worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

The statistics and analysis put forward by Hooten and his readers underscore the argument that development of Marsden Pt Port and rail link could benefit the North massively.

Waitangi Day was a lost opportunity for the North's civic leaders to get that message across to central Government. Instead we're facing territorial boundary wars in the name of local government reform.-

A massive opportunity exists right now that could be a win-win for both Northland and Auckland.

John Key recently announced that another $400 million from the asset sales will be invested in irrigation schemes.

Which leaves me wondering, if there had been a meeting of the minds of our territorial authorities, whether funding for the Marsden Point rail link would also have been announced.

Returning to the battlefield of local authority amalgamation in Northland is simply distracting attention from what is Northland's best chance at future development and prosperity.

Brian McLachlan is a Whangarei district councillor.

editor@northernadvocate.co.nz