The sun goes down on Auckland as it approaches Earth Hour, March 27, 2010.
The sun goes down on Auckland as it approaches Earth Hour, March 27, 2010. The Earth Hour, when everyone is asked to turn off lights for an hour from 8.30 p.m. local time, is a show of support for tougher action to confront climate change. Viaduct Harbour is seen in the foreground, the Sky Tower at right. Reuters/Nigel Marple

The proposal to expand the Auckland ports is facing resistance from a number of councillors and politicians, who have voiced reservations against extending Auckland's Bledisloe Wharf. Ports of Auckland announced that it is going ahead with its plans to extend the wharf 100 metres into the Waitemata Harbour.

Raising concerns, councillor Denise Krum urged the Mayor to address the issue swiftly and see the public backlash. She said, "We need to know where we're going, why we're going there, what we need to do and not do, what does it mean for the ports as a business and for us as a shareholder. There are so many issues,” reports 3 News.

Orakei councillor Cameron Brewer also hit out against the expansion and called for a fresh debate on it. Labour MP and possible Auckland mayoral contender Phil Goff said the port company needs to be sensitive to public opinion.

"The Ports of Auckland have been incredibly arrogant in treating this as their own property,” Goff said. However, Mayor Len Brown said it was too late to change the plans to extend Bledisloe Wharf. Among the well-known New Zealanders, who have protested the expansion include musician Neil Finn, banker Sir Michael Fay and former All Black coach Sir Graham Henry.

Reclamation in Doubt

Meanwhile, reports are emerging that Ports of Auckland's plans for reclamation will also be in problem. The mayor and most of the councillors have favoured tightening rules for reclamation, but a small majority want the rules re-examined. Councillor Cameron Brewer said the public favour a ban and councillors need to hold another vote. "They want us to really draw a line in the sand, say enough is enough, and work within the existing footprint of Auckland,” he said.

Brewer said the plans are at odds with what councillors want and what the public has been asking for. He noted that in 2013, a non-compliance classification was slapped across the whole of the Ports of Auckland port zone.

Conflict of Interest

The clash between the council and the council-owned company is turning out to be an example of a council trying to regulate a company of its own. Brewer noted that the council's ownership of the port has given rise to a conflict of interest. He said the councillors and the mayor are terribly conflicted because on the one side they are trying to protect the environment, and the other side efforts are being made to expand the ports.

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