Auckland port likely to miss promised container automation start
16 May, 2021 06:00 AM
5 minutes to read
Tau Henare, Shane Te Pou and Robert Reid from First Union demand the resignation of Ports of Auckland CEO, Tony Gibson, in light of the damning Health and Safety report. Video / Dean Purcell
Tau Henare, Shane Te Pou and Robert Reid from First Union demand the resignation of Ports of Auckland CEO, Tony Gibson, in light of the damning Health and Safety report. Video / Dean Purcell
Ports of Auckland looks unlikely to go live on its controversial container terminal automation next month or July as undertaken by its chief executive.
Situated on prime real-estate 10 minutes west of the central city, Chamberlain Park was at the centre of a bitter, five-year battle over a controversial proposal to re-develop the golf course, halving it from 18 to nine holes. John Parker, who has played golf at Chamberlain Park for 30 years, said balls going over the fence was nothing new, and claimed his local course was being unfairly targeted for its land. “It’s been no different to what’s been for the last 30 years in Chamberlain,” he said about the recent spate of sub-par shots. “There are hundreds of sports grounds and fields that border roadways around Auckland, and they’ve picked on Chamberlain, because they’ve been after Chamberlain for quite a while.
The deal is the first for major developments directly above two new underground stations on the 3.5-kilometre City Rail Link twin tunnels, which comprise the country’s costliest transport project at $4.4 billion. The developer, Malaysian Resources Corporation Berhad (MRCB), has done the deal, which is one of the biggest in dollar terms negotiated for an Auckland Council-owned site. The site on the corner of Mayoral Drive and Wellesley St had been an open car park for council vehicles, following the 2016 demolition of the former Griffiths Building, which had become unsafe. David Rankin, chief executive of the council development agency Panuku Development Auckland, said: “MRCB has a long history of quality transport-oriented developments in Malaysia and is committed to transforming the Mayoral Drive site to appeal to those wanting vibrant inner-city living and a low-carbon lifestyle.”