Dredging move digs marina out of trouble

Paul Webb at the Westpark Marina in Hobsonville. Photo / Greg Bowker

Five years ago, West Auckland boaties were threatening to make Paul Webb walk the plank.

Mud waves were dumping 40 tonnes of silt every high tide at the Westpark Marina, of which he was a director.

Berth-holders' keel boats sat on mud at low tide and many boats ran aground trying to navigate the channel out through the mudflats of Waitemata Harbour.

They also faced a $20 million bill for a backlog of dredging to restore original depths for berths and the channel.

In the face of that, some berth-holders abandoned their stake. Others formed a trust, threatened court action and engaged a Queen's Counsel to investigate the marina company's books on the suspicion the fees they had paid for marina upkeep had been misused.

Mr Webb's company had paid $12 million for the marina barely two years before the berth-holders' uprising and hints of court action.

It wanted to protect that investment, add to its value and also keep its seabed sub-licence which Waitakere City Council was threatening to revoke if they did not remove 50,000cu m of muck by the end of 2007.

"But we could not find a dredging company who wanted to go near it," said Mr Webb.

His solution was for Westpark Marina to form its own dredging company and get its own equipment.

At the marina yesterday, Mr Webb was more relaxed than in times when he had to reason with a roomful of angry and emotional boaties.

The berth-holders' trust reports that boats are now able to enter and exit without the concern of running aground and "harmonious" relations with marina management.

"We achieved that and delivered on a number of other promises made to berth-holders," said Mr Webb.

Out of 592 berths, the company owns 108.

"It was in our vested interest to keep down the operating cost and so we reviewed every item for value.

"As a result we are reducing berth holders' costs by $150,000 to $200,000, which is 8 per cent of the total budget. We have also reduced the dredging costs by our own company, Coastal Dredging Construction."

Out of the $2.4 million levied for the marina's operating costs this year, $800,000 will go towards dredging.

The programme was two years ahead of schedule and berth-holders were able to take interest-free loans for a year. This was done without the need to increase operating costs since April 1, 2008.

Mr Webb said about $100,000 was now going into building up a sinking fund to maintain the marina in an effort to avoid "copping" berth-holders with big bills in 20 years.

The company's seabed sub-licence runs out in 2035 when the marina must be handed over to the Auckland Council in pristine condition.

"Some other marinas are copping berth-holders for increases of 10 per cent.

"It's tough to do that in these times. I think it's unconscionable to look to the berth-holder as your solution to operating expense increases."

Mr Webb said the dredging company that evolved out of Westpark Marina's problems also had work at other Auckland marinas at Bayswater and Pine Harbour. It had expanded to take on projects in Australia, Tahiti and New Caledonia.

"New Zealand business accounts for only 5 per cent of our dredging revenue."

Mr Webb said the marina company had also spent $5 million on upgrading the marina reclamation for shopping, residential and marine industry hauling out facilities.