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The Independent Chair of the study's Consensus Working Group (CWG) and Reference Group, Dr Rick Boven, says the study's consultants, a consortium led by EY, have projected Auckland's long-term future freight and cruise needs and assessed what could be required in 50 years to accommodate it.

"Auckland is on a steep growth trajectory. With an expected population of at least 2.6 million and potentially quadrupling of freight trade in the next 50 years, Auckland will need a strategy to ensure freight can flow for continued trade and prosperity", says Dr Boven.

"The study's consultants have identified three options that could meet Auckland's future long-tern freight and cruise needs, subject to further assessment."

"All of the shortlist options have complex challenges and implications. Each option continues to be assessed and is now progressing to a detailed cost benefit analysis. There is still analytic work to be done", says Dr Boven.

The shortlisted options, representing the next step in the consultant's ongoing technical analysis, are:

• Option one: constraining Auckland's port to its current footprint
• Option two: enabling growth of Auckland's port at its current location
• Option three: continue with the current site in the short-to-mid-term but in the mid-to-long term move the port to a new location. There are three primary location areas for further investigation emerging:
• Manukau Harbour area
• Firth of Thames area (within the Auckland region)
• Muriwai area

"Our important next steps are to get feedback from the Study's larger Reference Group, complete the cost benefit analysis of remaining options and test the assumptions of that analysis by peer review."

"Once we complete further analysis on the shortlist of options we will have a clearer picture of how each option stacks up on costs and wider economic effects. Some options are likely to be cost prohibitive", says Dr Boven.

The purpose of the Port Future Study is to provide recommendations to Auckland Council on a strategy to accommodate Auckland's long term future trade and cruise activities across the next 50 or more years. The CWG is not a decision making body.

The CWG will consider the consultants' findings as they continue to formulate their recommendations for a long term strategy to accommodate future freight and cruise demand.

The Independent Chair of the study, Dr Rick Boven, says the work has begun by looking for areas in which a port is theoretically feasible from a technical perspective. It is a preliminary but important step in the study, creating a foundation for upcoming analysis of economic, environmental, social and cultural costs and benefits of potential options.

View a diagram of areas under investigation (PDF 93KB).

"The study's consultants, a consortium led by EY, has identified the areas that offer the theoretical physical capacity for port services, such as water depth, adjacent land capacity, and distance from transport routes," he says.

Detailed criteria to analyse the suitability of these locations are also being developed. The Study's Reference Group will provide feedback on the areas, the proposed assessment criteria and the project methodology. A shorter list of options will then be identified and analysed in more detail, including using a cost/benefit analysis.

"This approach ensures that all possible locations are considered, including those identified in previous studies. It will allow us to come up with robust recommendations, and provide a strong evidence base to support the Council deliberations that will follow this study's final recommendations in June.

"We are charged with looking at the feasibility of a wide range of options for the future of the port and engaging with stakeholders directly affected by the Port's activities.

"Once we test these potential areas against the criteria we may find that some stack up well against future growth projections and infrastructure development plans, and others are simply not suitable because of environmental, social, economic or cultural concerns.

"What's most important is that we take a long term, objective and balanced view," says Dr Boven.

The analytic work is being guided by the Port Future Study scope set by the CWG in October 2015.

Next steps

• Meeting with the wider Reference Group this Friday 19 February seeking feedback on long list of areas and criteria.
• Consultant's report provided to the CWG at the end of April.
• CWG recommendations to Auckland Council at the end of June.
• Ongoing council decision-making regarding long term strategy for freight and cruise activities for Auckland.

Announced today, the multidisciplinary consortium has experience in specialities across environmental, marine, cultural, iwi relations, infrastructure, economics and strategic port planning sectors.

It is led by professional services firm EY and includes Aurecon, GHD, Black Quay, eCoast, JLL New Zealand and Jasmax.

Dr Rick Boven, Port Future Study Independent Chair, says a sub-group of the port study's Consensus Working Group (CWG) evaluated and selected the consortium after a robust, competitive, and open two-stage procurement process.

"The consortium's work will be guided by the Port Future Study scope, agreed to in September, to provide a thorough analysis of options for the future of the port. The final report will provide the evidence base for the recommendations that the CWG will make to Auckland Council by the end of June 2016.

"The consortium's work begins immediately and will be completed by May 2016 when its final report is provided to the CWG.

"The CWG will work with the consortium to guide and understand their work so that when the consultant's report is received, the CWG's members are well-placed to develop their recommendations to council.

"In addition, the CWG will also continue to meet regularly and work with a range of information to build their collective understanding of the issues", says Dr Boven.

Mayor Len Brown initiated the independent Port Future Study in April 2015 to ensure Aucklanders understand the issues and have a real opportunity for input into future decision making on Auckland's port.

Chair of both groups, Dr Rick Boven says the Consensus Working Group (CWG) has agreed the study's scope and developed the process for appointing a consultant to identify and evaluate options for the port's long term future.

"The scope provides the framework and context for the consultant's work", says Dr Boven.

"We have issued a request for expressions of interest and responses from interested consultants are due at the end of this week.

"This will be followed by a shortlist of proposals and a competitive, open and robust request for proposal process, administered by Auckland Council's procurement team.

"A sub-group of the CWG has been chosen to evaluate proposals and select a consultant. The consultant's work will commence in November and is due for completion by May 2016.

"The CWG will work closely and collaboratively with the consultants to understand and guide their work and to ensure that CWG members are well-informed when they receive the consultant's report and develop their recommendations to council.

At the meeting the study's larger Reference Group reviewed the scope and provided feedback on the study's progress, emphasising the importance of key objectives as the consultant's report is developed.

These included continuing to obtain the input of significant interested parties, ensuring that the long term future is considered, that sufficient account is taken of the effects on the wider Waitematā and local landside environment, and that the best possible port strategy for Auckland's benefit is developed.

The CWG acknowledged the continuing importance of these goals and that they will be accommodated within the study's process.

"The Port Future Study remains on target to provide recommendations to Auckland Council by late June 2016, with the CWG collaborating effectively, developing a shared understanding and establishing a solid foundation for the work to come", Dr Boven says.

The Port Future Study will be undertaken by a group of representatives from a range of sectors that have an interest in the port and our harbour environment.

A Reference Group has been formed to carry out the study, and will include representatives from community, business, marine recreation and heritage groups; environmental organisations and Māori.

Over the next 12 months, these stakeholders will consider the social, environmental, economic, and cultural impacts of a wide range of options for the port's future development.

The Reference Group will work with a smaller Consensus Working Group, which will decide on the Port Future Study's final scope and provide direction during the study.

This group will be drawn from the larger number of Reference Group members involved in the study, and will make recommendations to Auckland Council on the best way forward, based on the agreed view of the study's members.

The council will then decide on matters arising from the Port Future Study with these recommendations in mind.

Auckland Council aims to have involvement from as many interested sectors as possible, to ensure a wide range of views and experience is represented.

Consensus Working Group chair appointed

Published: Friday, 5 June 2015

Auckland Council today announced the appointment of Rick Boven as chair of the Consensus Working Group (CWG) for the Port Future Study.