Eastland Port’s Wharf 7 rebuild ready to get underway

After years in the planning, work will begin soon on one of the most significant parts of Eastland Port’s Twin Berth project.

Eastland Port is located in Gisborne, Tairawhiti. The rebuild of the port’s Wharf 7 was granted resource consent in December 2020 and is due to start late March 2022 with an estimated completion within 18 months.

The cost is an estimated NZ$60 million.

Andrew Gaddum, COO regional infrastructure of the Eastland Group, said the original wharf was built in the 1960s and needs replacing. By September 2023, it will be demolished and rebuilt to as a lifeline facility that will support Tairawhiti’s export trade.

Infrastructure construction specialists McConnell Dowell was awarded the contract for the upgrades.

Marty Bayley, Eastland Port’s infrastructure manager, said the enhanced deck-on-pile design will further increase seismic resilience, improve operational longevity, reduce steel use by 70 per cent, and minimise the environmental impact of the structure.

Mr Bayley added that no hardfill is required anymore, leaving the seabed below as it is today, without interrupting the rua koura (crayfish puerulus) and local ecology.