A decision-making committee, appointed by the New Zealand Government’s Environmental Protection Authority, has granted dredging and disposal company Coastal Resources Limited, a 35-year marine consent to dispose of dredged sediment off Great Barrier Island (GBI).
Coastal Resources Limited already holds consent to dispose of 50,000 cubic meters of dredged sediment annually at the approved site, known as the Northern Disposal Area which sits 25 kilometers east of the Island in Exclusive Economic Zone waters.
In June 2018, it applied to the EPA to expand its operation to 250,000 cubic meters annually.
In granting the consent, the committee set conditions which will see Coastal Resources Limited carry out regular environmental monitoring of the site for the duration of the consent, and a requirement that the EPA, Biosecurity New Zealand, Auckland Council, Waikato Regional Council and Northland Regional Council be notified within 48 hours of any biosecurity risk.
In its final decision, Committee members Mark Farnsworth, (Chair) , Basil Morrison and Gillian Wratt found that: