Port of Tauranga Limited has received a second interim decision of the Environment Court confirming that resource consent will be granted for stage one of its planned Sulphur Point berth extension.

The decision requires some specific amendments to the conditions proposed by Port of Tauranga.

The decision comes after a three-week court hearing in March 2023, followed by an interim decision released just over a year ago requiring the port company to undertake further engagement with local iwi and hapū and the Bay of Plenty Regional Council.

Stage one involves constructing 285 metres of additional berth to the south of the port’s existing container berths, a small amount of reclamation behind the new wharf and associated dredging.

Port of Tauranga chief executive Leonard Sampson said the second interim decision was welcome after the company’s extensive follow-up work, done at the court’s request.

The court has determined that, from a Western science perspective, the physical effects of the proposal are expected to be minor in the short term and negligible in the long term.

“The extension is urgently required national infrastructure and we are keen to move as quickly as possible. To that end, we will evaluate the court’s second interim decision and assess our options in relation to the impending fast-track legislation,” Sampson said.

The stage one extension is one part of the port’s proposed Stella Passage development, which includes a second stage to the Sulphur Point extension as well as proposed works at the Mount Maunganui wharves.

The entirety of the development has been listed as a project in the Fast-Track Approvals Bill now before Parliament.