Marina supporters may be asked to give cash

Boaties looking to buy a berth in a proposed new marina at Whangamata may be asked to stump up more cash to a fighting fund to win a legal battle with the Government.

Earlier this year Conservation Minister Chris Carter decided the planned $10 million marina would not go ahead in the small Coromandel township in spite of it getting the go-ahead from the Environment Court.

Mr Carter overturned the Environment Court decision ruling it would destroy a salt marsh and effect local Maori.

Local iwi said it could jeopardise traditional shellfish gathering and surfers argued it threatened the town's renowned surfing break.

The marina society won a judicial review of the decision which will be heard in the High Court in Wellington in August.

But president Mick Kelly said today the costs of the legal action were mounting.

He said by the time Mr Carter had made his decision the cost of the proposal had already reached $1.3m. Appeal costs would have to be added to that.

The proposal had been funded so far by people wanting to buy berths in the marina who had made advance payments.

"We had a pretty good fighting fund but we may have to go back to them all," Mr Kelly said.

"We always were going to start in the red. We are further in the red than we thought we would be."

Mr Carter's decision outraged marina supporters and Mr Kelly said the society would argue he had acted illegally.

The society said if the judicial review went against it, the case would go to the Court of Appeal.

The proposal is to build 205-berth marina 1km inside Whangamata Harbour and if the society wins its legal battle, construction can begin within six months after the tender process and applications are completed.

- NZPA