John Pohlen (left) and Whanganui Port Limited Partnership chairman Mark Petersen sign the contracts. Photo / Bevan Conley
John Pohlen (left) and Whanganui Port Limited Partnership chairman Mark Petersen sign the contracts. Photo / Bevan Conley
Contracts have been signed and work is set to get under way for phase one at the Whanganui Port redevelopment.
Concrete Structures won the $13.5 million tender for the job and its civil project manager John Pohlen was welcomed to town by members of the Te Pūwaha partnership this week.
The work falls under the Te Pūwaha umbrella, which brings together iwi, Whanganui District Council, Whanganui Port, Horizons Regional Council, Q-West Boat Builders, Te Mata Pūau and the Whanganui District Employment Training Trust.
Pohlen said about 1000 cubic metres of concrete — 200 truckloads — would be laid during the project.
Contractors will build a heavy pavement vessel hardstand and concrete structures out over the water, capable of carrying Q-West’s 380-tonne capacity mobile boat hoist.
“That’s the area where the travel lift places the boats,” Pohlen said.
“It needs a solid concrete surface to run on. It needs to be smooth, like a road.”
Phase one takes place mainly between wharves 2 and 3 and is expected to be finished in under 14 months.
Whanganui Port project manager Phil Wardale said Concrete Structures had challenged the existing plan for the work and offered an alternative that was accepted.
“They already have a 100-tonne crane outside and the next one coming is 400 tonnes. It’s a significant beast,” Wardale said.
“This company is slightly unusual in this market space — they actually own their own equipment. They have the ability to bring resources from around the country.”
Wardale said management plans for the project probably looked quite different to those in other parts of the country.
Te Pūwaha is guided by the 2017 Whanganui River legislation — Te Awa Tupua.
“The awa [river] and the values are right in the heart of those management plans,” Wardale said.
“They have been shared with the contractors and they are excited to be working under that regime.”
Members of the Te Pūwaha team and Concrete Structures with the company's 100-tonne crane. Photo / Bevan Conley
Wardale said Kahurangi Simon, a member of hapū representative group Te Mata Pūau, would assist in further education in Te Awa Tupua and Te Pūwaha for contractors arriving on site.
Simon said he was grateful to see growth and development, not just in the city but in the region.
“The values of the river flow through everything we have been working towards.
“We welcome the team, who will embark on helping us tidy up this whole space here at Te Pūwaha, here at the port.”
Whanganui Mayor Andrew Tripe said it was pleasing to reach this milestone for the port.
“It’s going to be exciting to see phase one construction get underway.
“The port revitalisation will benefit Whanganui, stimulating economic development and creating work for our community in the marine, engineering and coastal freight sector into the future.”
Pohlen said the company had been to Whanganui three or four times in the past 10 years.
Concrete Structures built wharf 1 at the port in 2015 and it also completed concrete work at the wastewater treatment plant.
He said he had been watching the progress of Te Pūwaha with interest and was keen to be involved.
As “a bit of a boatie”, the work he enjoyed the most was wharves.
“They have different challenges and they’re exciting to do.
“Hopefully, we can do you proud.”
Funding for this work is split between the Provincial Growth Fund as managed by Kānoa – Regional Economic Development and Investment Unit, and the Whanganui District Council.
Wardale said Concrete Structures would start to mobilise to the site during August.
Mike Tweed is an assistant news director and multimedia journalist at the Whanganui Chronicle. Since starting in March 2020, he has dabbled in everything from sport to music. At present his focus is local government, primarily the Whanganui District Council.
