Board of Inquiry to consider Pūhoi to Warkworth proposal

Environment Minister Amy Adams and Conservation Minister Dr Nick Smith have announced that the New Zealand Transport Agency’s proposal for a new section of highway between Pūhoi and Warkworth will be directed to an independent Board of Inquiry.

The application relates to the construction, operation and maintenance of the Pūhoi to Warkworth section of the Ara Tūhono-Pūhoi to Wellsford Road of National Significance.

The proposal involves the Minister of Conservation because the proposal includes the coastal marine area, and has requests for coastal permits.

In accepting the recommendation of the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) to refer the proposal to a Board of Inquiry, the Ministers say the proposal meets the criteria for being considered nationally significant.

“There is likely to be considerable use of natural and physical resources, significant changes to the environment and it is a matter of widespread public interest,” the Ministers say.

“Directing the proposal to a Board of Inquiry means that anyone who wants to can have their say, and the independent Board of Inquiry will deliver its decision within nine months.

“This nine-month streamlined process provides certainty for all parties. The Environment Court or relevant local authorities are not subject to this same timeframe.”
A Board will be appointed in due course to consider the proposal.

Once appointed, the Board will run its own process and make its decision independently of the EPA and the Ministers.