The Government is throwing its weight behind the call to move Ports of Auckland with prime minister Jacinda Ardern confirming her Cabinet is in support of the idea.
Speaking at a post-Cabinet press conference on Monday, Ardern says ministers agree that Auckland’s port has no future for vehicle and container imports.
A final report from the Upper North Island supply chain working group (UNISCS) will be released by infrastructure minister Shane Jones on Thursday which will include Government recommendations.
Ardern held back from any announcement on where she thinks the port should move.
“I want to make it clear that Cabinet is of the view that the Ports of Auckland is not viable as the Upper North Island key import port in the long-term.
“For Cabinet the question is not if but where and when it will move … we agreed that there is more work to do in details of that,” Ardern says.
Lobby group Waterfront 2029 spokesperson Michael Goldwater is praising the announcement and says it shows “strong and decisive leadership”.
“For far too long, political leaders have procrastinated on the Auckland port issue with endless report writing.
“Too many of those reports have been hijacked by vested interests but the one consensus that has emerged is that the car and container port in Auckland’s CBD is not sustainable,” Goldwater says.
