Green port study funding approved

Funding has been approved for an in-depth study on the scope of a proposed large-scale private "green port" development at Port Nelson.

Government agency New Zealand Trade and Enterprise will give $100,000 in funding for a feasibility study on the full scope of the project which aims to create a modern marine eco-village for the development of commercial and working boats, at a specially created marine precinct within Port Nelson.

Nelson Regional Economic Development Agency chief executive Bill Findlater said yesterday the next step would be securing a suitably qualified contractor to carry out the study, which the EDA planned to have completed by the end of the year. Mr Findlater said timeframes for the stages and completion of the study would be set by NZTE, but news that the funding had been approved was "very positive".

He said the EDA would seek expressions of interest for the contract from specialist consultants around the country.

"There are suitably qualified people around the country, and we want to get the best person to do it."

A Green Port for Black Boats, which aims to build and maintain new-generation working boats in an industrial environment which complies with strict environmental standards, is being driven by a consortium of Nelson companies headed by port-based company Challenge New Zealand.

Business development manager Lane Finley and company owner Nevil Basalaj said the funding announcement was great news, and was another step towards opening the door to a "future full of opportunities for our youth in the greater Nelson-Tasman region".

The concept has the potential to create hundreds of jobs, up-skill the local trade and technical workforces, and pump hundreds of millions of dollars into the region's economy, it was announced at the weekend.

The Green Port promoters plan to forge closer links with institutions such as the Cawthron and Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology for the science and education specialties they each offer, over the next decade.

Mr Finley said plans to this stage could not have evolved without the cooperation of several key players, including the EDA, New Zealand Trade and Enterprise and Port Nelson.

- © Fairfax NZ News