Far North councillors have driven another nail into the coffin of the Rangitane maritime project by refusing to support a new boat-launching and trailer parking facility in Kerikeri Inlet.

In 2020, a proposal to improve
an existing boat ramp, replace a dilapidated jetty and reclaim 6400 square metres of seabed for parking was granted $2.4 million of Covid-19 recovery cash repurposed from the Government’s Provincial Growth Fund (PGF).

The Far North District Council committed another $1.2m to the “shovel-ready” project at Rangitane, about 13 kilometres from central Kerikeri on the north side of the inlet.

Since then, however, the project has struck a series of obstacles and divided the Rangitane community.

In January, a new cultural report had to be commissioned after Ngāpuhi said it hadn’t been properly consulted, and in April a Government-appointed Expert Consenting Panel rejected an application for fast-tracked resource consent. The rejection stemmed from a ruling about wetlands in an unrelated court case.

Last week, councillors were asked to re-state their support for the project in order to keep the government’s share of the funding alive.

After what was at times a fiery debate, however, councillors voted 6-4 against supporting the Far North Holdings-managed project.

It is not clear what will happen next.

The Advocate asked Kānoa Regional Economic Development and Investment Unit, the government agency that now administers PGF and “shovel-ready” Covid-19 recovery projects, whether the money would still be available.

Regional development director Paul Swallow said Kānoa administered the funding, but any decisions were made by Government ministers in the Infrastructure Reference Group.

Kānoa officials would meet Far North Holdings to discuss the ministers’ decision, he said.

During the August 11 meeting at Kaitaia’s Te Ahu Centre, councillor David Clendon said he was “entirely opposed” to the project.

Although $612,000 had been spent already on planning and design, that was no reason to keep pushing ahead.

“There is such a thing as throwing good money after bad.”

Clendon also took aim at the report given to councillors for claiming the project had “overwhelming support” in Rangitane.

“I don’t know how anyone could write that with a straight face. There is not overwhelming support, there is overwhelming division. Yes, we need more trailer parking, there’s no question about that, but this is not the place. I’m not a gambling person, but I’d bet if consent was granted it would end up in the Environment Court,” he said.

Rachel Smith agreed local concerns about the project needed to be heard, but said that would happen during the resource consent process.

The council’s maritime strategy called for improved access to the water, and the current 48 boat trailer parks in the Bay of Islands were woefully inadequate.

Delaying the project would only lead to higher costs later, Smith said.

Kelly Stratford said she was shocked the report made no mention of hapū opposed to the project, and wanted the decision deferred until they’d had a chance to address councillors.

She also worried about effects on the inlet’s ecological values, and the increased early morning traffic from fishers heading through residential streets to the boat ramp.

The Government funding includes $384,000 for repairs to the damaged Rangitane jetty.

Even if that money is still available, the Rangitane Residents Association — which is staunchly opposed to the reclamation part of the project — will have to hand over the consent it holds for jetty renewal.

Another group, the Rangitane Recreation Association, fully supports the project.

If the reclamation is scrapped, it won’t be the first “shovel-ready” project to be abandoned.

Earlier this year, Far North Holdings walked away from the Paihia seawall and beach restoration project due to escalating costs. The Government was to have contributed $8m of the $13.3m total cost.

Other PGF and Covid-19 recovery projects, however, have been completed successfully or are well under way.

They include roundabouts at Waipapa and Kawakawa, wharves at Paihia, Ōpua and Russell, the Ngāwhā Innovation and Enterprise Park, and a sports complex at Waipapa.

Water storage dams near Kaikohe and Waimate North are funded by PGF loans rather than grants.