Mayor on the Port - 'It's a pragmatic approach'

Auckland mayor Wayne Brown was elected on a platform of moving the Port of Auckland.

But he has now made selling a lease to operate the port a cornerstone of his 10-year budget, known as the Long-Term Plan (LTP).

Critics have questioned Brown’s approach, concerned the port lease would keep cargo locked in its current location for an extended period.

But he says the proposed 35-year lease is a pragmatic solution to extract maximum value from the port. The phased approach would see the return of Captain Cook and Marsden wharves to the public in two years, with Bledisloe North following in 12 to 15 years.

This phased approach would mitigate against a significant drop in land value if the entire port operation was put up holus-bolus.

“If we get it back progressively, the market has shown it can pick up about 5 hectares a year and still pay top price,” Brown says. “If you put it all up straight away, the price will drop sufficiently that even I’d be able to buy a few hectares of it.”

Detractors say the port is a strategic asset and should be kept by the city to retain jobs.

Brown explains his proposal would lock in a 35-year commitment, providing certainty to businesses and workers about the long-term footprint of the Port.

“If we offer a lease for 35 years, the jobs will be there for 35 years. If we don’t sell a licence, it will be gone in 10 years.

“Winston and I will be under way dismantling the port.”

He is adamant he will not carry on using the rates paid by some 35,000 houses to cover the difference between what the port makes and the cost of ownership.

Brown acknowledges it might look as though he has done a flip but says the one thing he knows is you have to compromise.

“All those people who think the port will stay there forever are dreaming,” he says.

“I am being accused of changing my mind, but it’s a pragmatic approach. I’m the ultimate pragmatist.”