Port of Tauranga is New Zealand’s largest port, with importers and exporters relying on its services to ship cargo to and from international markets. It is the country’s main export port for dairy products, forestry products and kiwifruit.
The Port has a dedicated container terminal at Sulphur Point, with bulk cargo wharves at Mount Maunganui, on the opposite side of Te Awanui Tauranga Harbour. The two sides of the harbour are connected by the Tauranga Harbour Bridge.
The Stella Passage development aims to convert existing cargo storage land into useable berths on both sides of the harbour, growing the Port’s capacity and ability to meet the future needs of importers and exporters. In particular, the Sulphur Point container berths are almost at capacity due to demand and the growing global trend to larger ships, which are more efficient. Without the berth extension, international services are likely to face increasing delays or will bypass New Zealand altogether. The planned extensions are within the Port’s current footprint and have been signalled since 2003 in regional policies and development plans for Tauranga. All construction will be staged to match market conditions and customer demand.
Te Awanui Tauranga Harbour is of immense cultural significance to local iwi and hapū, closely linked to their identity. The harbour also serves as an important amenity and recreational asset for the wider Tauranga community. The proposed Stella Passage development will need to consider how the values of iwi, hapū and the community are protected.
Overview of the proposed development
The Stella Passage development has three components:
Sulphur Point
The proposed Sulphur Point berth extension would integrate seamlessly with the existing 770 metres of container berths. New ship-to-shore container cranes will be placed on the wharves and containers will be transferred to and from the wharf apron by manual straddle carriers.
The first stage of extension will add 285 metres of berth to the south of the existing wharves and will allow the Port to expand capacity from the current 1.2 million TEUs per annum limit to approximately 2.0 million TEUs per annum. An additional 100 metres, to a total of 385 metres, will be constructed as demand requires. Once fully built out, the container terminal would be able to accommodate three or four ships at once, instead of the current two.
A small amount of reclamation – covering approximately 1.8 hectares – will be required to fill the gap between the new wharf and the adjacent existing cargo storage land.
Mount Maunganui
Similarly to container vessels, there is a growing trend to larger bulk vessels and cruise ships, both of which call at the Mount Maunganui wharves. The proposed Mount Maunganui berth extension of 315 metres (plus mooring dolphins) will relieve capacity pressure and allow for the future replacement of the oldest, original part of the Port, midway along the Mount wharves. A small amount of reclamation – covering almost 1.8 hectares – will be required to fill the gap between the new wharf and the adjacent existing cargo storage land.
The Port also plans to redevelop the area known as Butters Landing, to the south of the existing tanker/cement berth. Butters Landing is currently used by the Port’s civil and works department to maintain Port-related equipment. Port of Tauranga proposes to redevelop the area to accommodate additional low-profile work boats and barges.
Shipping channel
The proposed berth extension at Sulphur Point is beyond the existing shipping channel, so dredging will be required to accommodate the ships that will use the new wharves. No dredging will be required near the new Mount Maunganui berths or Butters Landing.
The area to be dredged covers approximately 10.55 hectares and approximately 1.5 million cubic metres of dredged material will be removed. (Port of Tauranga already holds a resource consent for this area allowing 5.9 hectares of dredging, removing 800,000 cubic metres of material.)
Environmental impacts
Port of Tauranga has engaged a range of experts to assess the environmental impacts of the proposal. We’ll add supporting documents here when they become available.
What happens next?
Port of Tauranga has applied for a resource consent and is going through an Environment Court process. Due to the urgency of the project, the Port is also considering applying for consent under the new Fast Track Approvals Bill, which is expected to become law before the end of 2024. Further updates will be provided when possible. In the meantime, please contact [email protected] with any questions.
