Kōpū Marine Servicing and Business Precinct was officially opened by Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters in late June. The main wharf is closed to the public.
Kōpū Marine Servicing and Business Precinct was officially opened by Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters in late June. The main wharf is closed to the public.
The general public is being told to stay away from a new $15 million commercial wharf and floating pontoon in Thames, designed to boost the region’s aquaculture industry.
A spokesman for Thames-Coromandel District Council said the gates had been shut and locked since its official opening late last month.
He said the facility was designed, consented, and built for commercial purposes, “not recreational”.
“It’s a commercial wharf in a commercial zone; while sometimes there may not be commercial activity, at any time there could be boats tying up, refuelling or welding and other such activity taking place.
“For public safety it’s fenced off; businesses can, and have been, booking the wharf for their commercial purposes.
“It’s important to keep the users of the new recreational boat ramp, plus pedestrians and cyclists passing by on the Hauraki Rail Trail, separate from the commercial activities at the new wharf area so there are no conflicts of use and that both commercial and recreational users are kept safe.”
It was confirmed that several users had their applications for commercial use of the wharf approved, and other applications were being reviewed.
“While there may currently be times when the wharf is not being used, we anticipate it being busier in the near future.
“Casual boaties should not tie up at the commercial wharf; if they would like to tie up locally, Shortland Wharf in Thames is available.
“Anyone who wants to walk on a structure over the water could potentially walk on the recreational boat ramp pontoon, but we want to discourage people from trying to enter the commercial wharf area, for their own safety.”
Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters and Resources Minister Shane Jones at the official opening of the Kōpū Business and Marine Precinct in Thames.
Any business operator wanting to use the commercial facilities was asked to submit an application.
“If a business wanted to run a charter operation to take pleasure trippers down the Waihou for example, they should complete the form and include a plan on how they would manage guests embarking and disembarking from the vessel.”
The wharf was officially opened on June 21 with Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters and Resources Minister Shane Jones on hand at the ceremony.
The project was 10 years in the making after a survey of Kōpū business operators in 2013 identified infrastructure and service needs for the business park upgrade and gateway concept.
The 80m-long structure was designed to enable in-water marine servicing and vessel loading.
The new facility included an unsealed haul-out area, an upgraded commercial slipway, a public boat ramp and a trailer parking area.
The project cost was met through a $8.2m grant from the Government’s Crown Infrastructure Partners Fund bolstered with central, regional, district and community funds.
A further $565,000 was granted from the Waikato Regional Council’s Regional Fund while the Thames Community Board had underwritten the contingency shortfall with external funding sought for the remaining $565,000.
