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The fast-track panel responsible for deciding the fate of the Bream Bay sand extraction project has been suspended, allowing applicant McCallum Bros Ltd (MBL) more time.
The decision came after 46 submissions were received from invited parties, including government ministers, Northland Regional Council (NRC), the Department of Conservation (DOC), Forest & Bird, Bream Bay Guardians and others, with some submissions containing a large volume of attachments and expert evidence.
In minutes issued at the beginning of the month, the panel said the volume of material justified additional time for technical experts to review submissions and prepare responses.
The application will remain suspended until MBL is ready to resume the process. Once that happens, its response to submissions will be due on the next working day.
The panel also accepted a late submission from Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Hine, which called on the panel to ensure sufficient time was available for iwi and hapū engagement on cultural, ecological and tikanga matters relating to the fast-track application.
Following the late submission, the panel has also announced a series of hui, saying it wants to speak directly with iwi and hapū submitters. The panel says the meetings are intended to help better understand cultural, environmental and procedural issues raised during the fast-track process. No dates for the hui have been announced at the time of print.
Submission documents published on the fast-track website show there is a range of views for the panel to consider.
Te Pouwhenua o Tiakiriri Kūkupa Trust, representing Te Parawhau ki Tai, has shown support for the project subject to conditions, saying the trust has engaged with MBL for more than a year and believes the proposal will result in “benefits to our uri over the next 35 years and longer through a partnership approach”.
Other submitters, including Patuharakeke and Ngātiwai have formally called for the application to be declined, citing cultural, environmental, fisheries, marine mammal, coastal process and economic concerns. They have also raised concerns about mana whenua and representation issues raised by supporters of the project.
If approved, the sand mining project would allow MBL to extract up to 150,000 cubic metres of sand annually for the first three years, rising to 250,000 cubic metres a year for the remainder of the 35-year consent period.
The project would involve dredging 15.4 square kilometres of seabed using a motorised trailing suction dredge – the same method previously used by the company off Mangawhai/Pākiri.
The mined sand would be supplied to concrete manufacturers in Auckland and Northland, as well as to an MBL depot supplying the Coromandel and Bay of Plenty regions.
