Port of Tauranga reported that tangata whenua parties had brought an appeal against the resource consent for its Stella Passage development in New Zealand, and had also filed an application for judicial review.
An expert panel granted consent on September 7, subject to conditions, under New Zealand’s Fast-track Approvals Act 2024.
Chief executive Leonard Sampson said the challenges were disappointing but not unexpected. “The urgency of this project is unchanged, and we will be seeking the earliest possible court hearing,” he said.
Appeals against panel decisions can be made to the High Court on questions of law only, within 20 working days of publication.
The project’s first fast-track application was halted following an earlier judicial review brought by Ngāti Kuku Hapū Trust. That ruling concerned a project description that included Sulphur Point but did not expressly cover the Mount Maunganui extension.
Parliament amended the act in December 2025 to include Mount Maunganui, and the port submitted a new application on January 22, 2026.
The works include a 385-metre extension to the Sulphur Point wharves, starting with a 285-metre stage, and a staged 315-metre extension to the Mount Maunganui wharves.
Dredging would cover about 10.55 hectares of Stella Passage to a finished depth of about 16 metres below chart datum, producing about 1.5 million cubic metres of material. The consent also allows maintenance dredging to keep the passage at its operational depth.
The project also includes about 3.58 hectares of reclamation, split between the Sulphur Point and Mount Maunganui sides, and four additional container-handling cranes.
