New Zealand / Regional

Ports of Auckland tries to avert injunction

17:05 pm on 13 April 2015

The council-owned Ports of Auckland wants to fast-track legal action being taken this week against its imminent extension of two wharves.

According to the protest group, this shows the harbour before the Bledisloe Wharf Extension. Photo: Facebook / Stop Stealing Our Habour

The port company is offering a deal to the lobby group Urban Auckland to avert the risk of an interim injunction halting the 90-metre-plus extensions of Bledisloe Wharf.

Urban Auckland was challenging the legality of resource consents issued late last year for the work.

Ports of Auckland said if the group dropped any interim moves, it would undertake to dismantle the extensions if the court rules against the consents, and new consents can not be obtained.

Urban Auckland's case will be heard at the High Court on Thursday.

Moves by the council to persuade the port to halt the extensions continued separately.

Auckland councillors were surprised in February to learn the extensions were about to begin, even while the port's longer term-expansion plans were being debated.