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TAURANGA MARINA: THE TRUE ORIGIN STORY

History books will tell you that Sir Bob Owens, former Mayor of Tauranga and Chairman of the Tauranga Harbour Board, was instrumental in developing the Tauranga Marina as part of the reclamation of Sulphur Point for port expansion.

They'll note Sir Bob’s desire to establish Tauranga as a commercial and recreational maritime hub, with flow-on effects for tourism and events, and the intention of stimulating local marine activities.

What the history books won’t tell, however, is a significant consideration; Owens, on occasion, struggled to operate his dinghy to shore from his 1936 kauri-planked ketch, the MV Nereides.

On July 7th, Bob's son Doug is to meet his nephew and current Tauranga Mayor Mahe Drysdale’s lawyers in the High Court in Hamilton, over Doug’s years-long clash with the Tauranga Marina Society (TMS) and Tauranga City Council (TCC) concerning the ownership and management of the marina.

His father had a far more practical concern in establishing a facility for the city’s boaties, and that was to reach the shore safe, sound, and dry after disembarking the Nereides, which since 1971 had been permanently moored on the roadstead adjacent to the Tauranga Rowing Club. On more than one occasion, the dinghy had cause to founder, which amused many, but not Bob.

There must be a better way, he thought.

The marina was officially opened in 1979 and was under the control of the Bay of Plenty Harbour Board until local government reform saw its assets transferred to the TCC in 1989. Bob had personally guaranteed the development with contributions from future berth holders.

In 2017 the marina society committee began stating that the floating assets, piers and berths had been transferred by the TCC into the ownership of TMS.

Minutes from TMS’ Annual General Meeting in 2017, suggested that those assets weren’t owned by anyone or anything.

TMS Committee Chairman Eric Tait said that 'the TMS have negotiated with Council and that these assets are now in the ownership of the Society’.

Tait said the reason being; ‘that there is no proof they are in anybody else’s ownership’.

Unfortunately for Chairman Tait, the current TCC/TMS Management agreement executed by the parties in 2018 says in the first paragraph that the TCC owns the marina – so what has been changed here?

The Committee had met with elected members explaining the marina needed to be upgraded, because its 40-year life was nearly up. Per the minutes from the meeting, members were told: "It has since become apparent that the Council do not have the floating docks on their books and therefore cannot sell to us."

So, in summary, Tait relayed the Tauranga Marine Society would now own the floating docks..."If the Marine Society ever goes into liquidation the floating docks and assets will automatically [go] back to the Council.”

Exactly how an asset that apparently was never owned by TCC could go back to TCC was not discussed.

In the coming weeks ‘www.Tauranga City Council Exposed – factsmatter.co.nz will dig into Doug’s claims of alleged fraud and unlawful activity in relation to consents, berth licenses, the TMS’ maintenance fund and the buying and selling of berths by the TMS Committee since 2016.

The question remains to be answered in court – who owns the TMS marina?

For now, though, reflect on the real origin story of Tauranga Marina and perhaps question whether the stories we are told about other developments in Tauranga align with the true intentions of the people behind them.