Big port revamp if ferry plan proceeds
Port Motueka could undergo a massive transformation if a proposed $100 million WhanganuiMotueka ferry service gets the goahead.
The project is proposed to involve a 7-metre deep channel through the Motueka Sandspit and a Y-shaped turning area to allow ferries to reverse and dock.
Reclamation of an adjacent area for parking and marshalling is also proposed.
The proposals outlined to the Tasman District Council (TDC) on Thursday saw one councillor raise environmental concerns about the impact on the sandspit. It is recognised as an internationally important site for shorebirds, including migrating godwits.
Advocates for the Midwest Ferries project presented a feasibility study to council and asked for funds to help develop a detailed business case. They requested TDC form a joint taskforce with Whanganui District Council (WDC).
Feasibility study co-author Nik Zangouropoulus said the proposal to offer a daily return freight trip over the 115-nautical mile route was commercially viable.
‘‘One vessel and only the freight market initially – that’s the best scenario at this stage,’’ he said.
A second ferry for passengers would come later.
The initial one-ferry operation was expected to provide about 120 jobs. Zangouropoulos estimated about one-third could be in Motueka.
Though the project’s backers were seeking some local government funding and would also request a contribution from central government during the establishment phase, once that was complete it would be privately funded, Zangouropoulos said.
‘‘Now, the quid pro quo that we’re seeking with the port owners is an agreement, which is we would put in something in the vicinity of $75m to $100m of investment in return for a long-term usage agreement.’’
WDC’s commercial arm Whanganui District Council Holdings had given indicative support for $70,000 and a ‘‘subsequent support package’’ into the next financial year of $100,000, Zangouropoulos told Tasman district councillors.
After the presentation, Zangouropoulos said he expected that proposed financial support to go before WDC next month. A matching financial contribution from TDC was sought, he said.
Co-author of the feasibility study, Warwick Walbran, of Walbran Transport Analysis, said once a passenger ferry was operating, there was ‘‘enormous opportunity’’ for regional development.
‘‘At the moment, nearly all the tourist traffic runs down SH1 with some side trips left and right and we think the ferry could start an alterative route and maybe they’ll go down one side and back up the other,’’ he said.
‘‘This is something … that the ferry will not be sufficient to make happen but you can’t make it happen without the ferry.’’
Zangouropoulos said the full impact on the environment could not be assessed until a detailed engineering design was complete, due in the first half of 2018.
It was agreed a formal request for TDC funding would be submitted in writing. The first sailing is tipped for mid-2021.