Fast-track Approvals Bill only way to keep promise to Auckland Council - Ports of Auckland

Ports of Auckland says the controversial Fast-track Approvals Bill is the only way to keep its promise to Auckland Council.

Earlier this year, Ports of Auckland struck a deal to sell the Captain Cook and Marsden wharves back to the council to be converted into a waterfront attraction.

"We've made a commitment to exit Cook and Marsden in the period two to five years, and the fast-track just gives us that ability to honour that commitment to the city," Ports of Auckland chief executive Roger Gray said.

Ports of Auckland plans to shift its cruise ship operations east, constructing a new wharf on the northern face of Bledisloe Terminal and extending the Fergusson North Wharf out to meet the mooring dolphin.

"We'll fast-track those two wharves, we'll be submitting an application once the legislation's passed," Gray said.

"We had to give ourselves a wharf that was capable of doing roll-on and roll-off, and the most logical location for that is on the northern face of Bledisloe which is currently used as our roll-on, roll-off terminal."

The project is one of 149 included in the government's fast-track list, and Gray hoped to have it consented by early next year.

"It'll take us about 18 months from once we get consented, so we'll get cracking on that," he said.

"We'll get building straight away."

The new cruise terminal would free up Princes Wharf for ferries, which have been plagued by cruise-induced delays and cancellations over recent years.

"Our objective is to have less and less [cruise] ships using Princes, and in the ferry basin, and as a result we expect there will be less cancellations from Auckland Transport," Gray explained.

"Princes is not a great customer experience right now, we have to use the ballroom of the Hilton Hotel, passengers go up and down stairs, and our preference is to build a purpose-built cruise terminal in the base of the car handling facility [at Bledisloe]."

But cruise ships would still use the neighbouring Queens Wharf.

"We'll still use Queens as our primary cruise wharf, the issue is cruise ships are getting bigger and we need to have a purpose-built facility for the cruise ships because of their size."

Without a fast-tracked consent, Gray feared the project would drag on indefinitely.

"I think you've only got to look at what's been happening in the Port of Tauranga ... These things can drag on for years and our preference was to honour the deal with the city," he said.

But he acknowledged that the fast-track legislation was a heated issue, and circumstances could change following the next election.

"Everything's a risk in regards to flip-flopping under new governments coming in and out," he said.

"But our intention is to seek fast-track consent and start construction so I think by the time of the next election we'll be largely finished."

He was confident Ports of Auckland's use of the fast-track legislation would be agreeable.

"You talk about the controversy [around the fast-track bill]... We've done significant community engagement in our preparation for the fast track application," he said.

"We've had in excess of 140 community engagements, ranging from town hall meetings through to meeting with significant numbers of iwi, and there is genuine consensus that this is a pretty reasonable outcome for the city."