Developers appeal over marina

Pauanui Beach, where the dredged sand from the planned marina would be deposited. Picture / Paul Estcourt

Up to 20,000cu m of marina dredgings will be dumped metres off Pauanui Beach every year under proposals from would-be developers of a marina in neighbouring Tairua.

Plans for disposing of all dredgings from the proposed 150-berth marina at Paku Bay, Tairua, were revealed in opening evidence by developers appealing to the Environment Court, which is sitting for four weeks at the town's rugby clubrooms. For the marina development to proceed in its proposed form, 142,000cu m of sand must be excavated to create a channel and marina basin. Some 1.8ha of seabed and foreshore would be reclaimed for marina walls, two breakwater walls up to 400m long and an area in the tide that would become car parking.

Another 2ha would be taken up for the marina itself with fuel and sewage pump-out facilities, a floating ferry terminal and piers for 150 boats.

Developers are seeking permission for more than a third of the dredged sand to be barged to Pauanui during construction - and much more if reclamations are not allowed - with the remainder used to build structures.

Maintaining the marina basin and access channel would require the dumping of 20,000cu m of material - or an area half the size of a rugby field and 10m high - dredged from the bottom of the marina each year on top of that barged during construction.

For the appellants, Trevor Gould said the population of Tairua and Pauanui increased 10-fold over the summer and pressure for development would increase demand for facilities for boaties. "As Tairua's Harbourmaster will explain to the court, the current 77 moorings should be considered a maximum with little potential for expansion given the water depth in this area.

Auckland-based developer Craig Watts and long-time Tairua developer Jim Mason are behind Tairua Marine and Pacific Paradise, joint backers of the marina.

The proposal is supported and opposed by equal numbers of residents but was opposed by Environment Waikato, Thames Coromandel District Council, the Department of Conservation and local iwi, whose ancestors used the bay to transport their dead on canoes for burial in caves at the base of Mt Paku.

The Department of Conservation will focus on the bay's importance to eight threatened marine species, in particular the New Zealand dotterel, while other bodies focus on planning issues and environmental effects. Three residents will speak in support of the marina while 47 - many from the local lobby group Guardians of Paku Bay - will speak against it.

"What is worth emphasising here is that, while the sheer number of witnesses that will be called for the Guardians may give an impression that the marina will have unmitigated impacts on the amenity values of Tairua, that is simply not the case," argued Mr Gould.

Developers have tried to mitigate the effect on threatened bird species by building roosting areas into the breakwaters.

They have also proposed to reduce the height of breakwaters to lessen the visual impact on residents who have views of the coast.

The appeal was lodged after a hearing of commissioners in 1993 ruled against the marina. This followed earlier proposals for a 250-berth marina that were also rejected by authorities.

An adjoining piece of land owned by the developers is earmarked for housing, restaurants and offices.

The appeal is expected to take a month with a two-week break over Easter. The hearing continues today.

The plan

* A 150-berth marina is planned for Paku Bay, Tairua.

* 142,000cu m of sand must be excavated for the project.