Auckland Port Land for the Public

[Brent George]

Auckland Port land could be returned to public within 2 years, Mayor Wayne Brown says
Stuff - Auckland: 3-Aug-2023

Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown has revealed that the council has begun considering the first stage of a redevelopment of the city’s waterfront, including part of the Ports of Auckland.

Brown said that councillors had met with staff and engineers to discuss “land release options” following a “a high-level preliminary study”.

He said that the first stage of redevelopment would focus on the wharves including Queens Wharf, Captain Cook, Marsden and Hobson Wharf extensions.

Bledisloe Wharf, where import cars are currently parked, would follow in the “not too distant future”, he said.

[Think Wellington Waterfront pre 1980's and Wellington Waterfront 2020's.... previously commercial fishing boats and containers and restricted access versus walkways; parks; restaurants; art etc.  OK, you still can't (safely) swim there but it provides nice access from the city offices to an open area (You can't beat Wellington on a good day..)

[Brent George]

Stuff - Auckland: 3-Aug-2023
Opinion:  Port or Playground? Reality check coming for future of Auckland's Waterfront

Who wouldn’t want a downtown harbour edge park, maybe even a beach and playgrounds, where Auckland’s port currently sits?

It’s certainly a vision the Mayor Wayne Brown made much of during his election campaign, promising to extract far more cash from the port company ahead of its phased departure.

The snag is: where does the work done by the country’s biggest import port go, and who pays for the billions of dollars of infrastructure, even if it were possible?

A reality check is coming, as Councillors have begun to weigh up external reports commissioned by the Mayor – including on what a contraction of the port’s footprint might mean.