Work on a new multimillion-dollar ferry terminal in Picton that can serve new, larger, greener ferries is officially underway.
The Picton Ferry Terminal “works” will be completed before Christmas so that major construction of the new terminal can begin in 2023.
New Interislander ferries are expected to reach the shores of Aotearoa in 2025 and 2026. Terminal upgrades in both Picton and Wellington are needed to accommodate them, in what is estimated to be a $1.45 Billion Infrastructure Project.
A special event on Saturday, attended by Mayor John Leggett and councilors, MP Stuart Smith and other key stakeholders, was held to celebrate the start of the support works.
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Inter-island Resilient Connection (iReX) program director Stephen O’Keefe said that while there was still a lot of work to do, it was exciting to come together and see the “real work” begin.
“It was a shovel-ready project. When I think of the shovel done, I think of a few weeks ago when we had a blessing ceremony here in Waitohi to protect the site.
MAIA HEART/LDR
The mayor of Marlborough, John Leggett, draws a tile to be placed on the new terminal.
“I think we were done with the shovel, but when the shovel wasn’t done, the ground was pretty cold. But we attacked that ground and now the ground is really, really, done.”
O’Keefe said the support work, due to be completed this year, will include moving the track turntable further from the site, upgrading the Waitohi culvert for stormwater drainage improvements, building a temporary terminal and some ” preparation” in Dublin St.
MAIA HEART/LDR
Port Marlborough CEO Rhys Welbourn addresses the crowd at the event.
The current terminal would be demolished next year so that the new one and the quay could be built, he said.
After his speech, O’Keefe said this was really the “right start” for the project.
MAIA HEART/LDR
The facilitating works are necessary to be able to build on a grand scale in 2023.
“We’ve been designing and executing concepts for three years, and now we’re ready to go,” he said.
“We need to get some things done before Christmas so we can start major construction in the new year.”
He said, “You could do all the talking” and show off a lot of pretty pictures of the design, but Saturday’s event showed that “it’s really happening.”
MAIA HEART/LDR
Key stakeholders attended the event on Saturday morning to mark the start of work on the terminal.
He said the “engineering design process” for the new ferries had begun and the team of KiwiRail ships had even gone to Korea to meet the people who would build the ferries.
“Again, a lot has been planned with the shipyard, but we are now starting the rigorous process around the technical and interior design of the ships,” he said.
“This next phase will take about a year. We don’t cut steel on the ships until 2024, so if there was ever an expression for an example of 80% planning, 20% build, then shipbuilding is like this.
“It’s a huge amount of design and planning, but build fast.”
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The new ferry terminal will be built on the existing site to make way for new, larger ferries expected to arrive in 2025 and 2026.
Te Ātiawa o te Waka a Māui Trust chief Justin Carter addressed the crowd with a Māori saying: to delay is to move forward.
“I walk backwards into the future with my eyes on my past,” Carter said.
He said the area was particularly special to Te Ātiawa, whose awa (Waitohi River) was near the site, and was encouraging that the relationship with the stakeholders involved in the project was positive and authentic.
“It provides a way for Te Ātiawa to express his culture and its connection and relationship through this project.
“The holy awa is there, so it couldn’t get more special.”
When he thought of the future, he also thought of what was left for the next generation.
“The responsibility we now have as project partners, iwi, and the community is to ensure that our community and people thrive now and in the future. That’s what it means to be good ancestors.”
Port Marlborough CEO Rhys Welbourn said his team believed in measuring success in terms of its ability to positively impact people, the planet, the economy and its partnerships.
He said it was a “once in a generation” project, which offers real opportunities for the region.
“The project offers the opportunity to make changes to some of our core infrastructure and how we connect with the rest of New Zealand and the world.”
DELIVERED
An artistic rendering of one of the new Hyundai Mipo Dockyard Interislander ferries that will replace the existing fleet. The new ferries are expected to arrive in New Zealand in 2025 and 2026.
Marlborough Mayor John Leggett said it hadn’t been long since the council asked the community if it should raise a $110 million loan to fund the port’s share of the project.
“I really want to congratulate KiwiRail, Port Marlborough, Te Ātiawa o te Waka a Māui on the success of the public engagement.
“We have a community” who are directly behind this project.”
The redevelopment is expected to take a minimum of four years and create 200 full-time construction jobs and 100 indirect jobs.
Construction of the Waitohi Picton terminal will include:
- A new terminal building, quay, landscaped gardens and waterfront
- Improved connections between the ferry area and the city centre, and improvements to the roads in Picton.
- Design that celebrates the area’s rich culture, environment and history
- Flood protection and future-proofing for rising sea levels
- Sensitive environmental and sustainable practices – with the two new ferries expected to reduce Interislander’s emissions by 40%.