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The annual migration of tens of thousands of people to Whangamata for their summer holiday could coincide with Environment Minister David Benson-Pope releasing his decision on the marina development that has split the town.
The Whangamata Marina Society has told the Herald it expects an announcement this week, although society president Mick Kelly concedes Mr Benson-Pope could stretch things out until the new year.
There has been no word from the Government since October 12 about the planned 205-berth marina.
In the meantime Mr Carter has declined permits for another marina at nearby Tairua.
Mr Kelly said there was some disagreement about the timing of the decision, but "we've decided to back off hassling them about it because we were getting some reasonable signals, so we're expecting it this week.
"There's been some correspondence between Mai's [lawyer Mai Chen] office and their office. The reason we've backed off is because ... we've had some quite encouraging sort of indications, if you like. So we're not making too much of a fuss about it at this stage.
"They haven't given us a nod but because of the way the High Court decision was framed, we're pretty confident it would be difficult to turn us down anyway."
The Environment Minister's office stonewalled a request to clarify why a date could not be provided, and Ms Chen could not be contacted yesterday.
Tens of thousands of people will flock to Whangamata over the next few weeks as the holiday season reaches its peak.
If the decision is released during this time, it will provide for plenty of heated debate over the barbecues.
The resort has traditionally been a volatile spot for police because of large numbers of young people with alcohol.
But a ban on drinking in public has largely stopped those problems.
However, the marina proposal is contentious and could stir up resentment among the estimated 45,000 holidaymakers and 4000 locals.
Many boaties support the development, and the Marina Society has spent 12 years and up to $1.3 million trying to get resource consent for its construction.
The Thames-Coromandel District Council is also understood to back it.
But iwi oppose the marina because of fears that traditional food-gathering areas will be lost.
Environmentalists are upset that if the marina gets the go-ahead a saltmarsh will be destroyed, and some surfers think the popular Whangamata bar will be affected.
Surfer Jan Shanks said she had not felt any tension between boaties and surfers recently.
"There hasn't been a lot of surf," she said, so the two users had not been competing for the same body of water.
The Whangamata bar lies at the mouth of the estuary and is a frequently used launching spot for boats.
Coromandel MP Sandra Goudie said the minister was being "very clever" in delaying the announcement.
She expected that the decision might not come until the holidaymakers had left.
Mr Kelly said "everything stopped" when Mr Benson-Pope asked questions of the court, but he now had answers to those queries.
"They were just generally about surfing, about the salt marsh, and some queries about one or two conditions."
THE BATTLE FOR CONSENT
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* In October 2005 the Environment Court gave approval to the 205-berth marina at Whangamata, subject to the Conservation Minister's rubber stamp.
* But this March, minister Chris Carter stymied the coastal permits, citing concerns over the salt marsh and iwi access to seafood stocks.
* The decision was appealed against in the High Court, which found Mr Carter had exceeded his powers in reconsidering Environment Court evidence.
* In September Justice Fogarty ordered that the minister review his decision to reject resource consents.
* Three weeks later Mr Carter handed the final say over to his colleague, Environment Minister David Benson-Pope. Mr Carter cited perceived bias as his reason.
* Since then, no word has come from the Government on the $10 million project.
