Before the end of this year, the Hearing date yet to be advised, the Regional Council will consider Tauranga Bridge Marina's (a private, profit driven company) request to construct a breakwall in Tauranga Harbour.
We at Tauranga HarbourWatch Inc.oppose the proposal as it means the present channel width which serves the whole southern harbour will be halved and the resultant tidal flows will be much stronger.
Moreover the proposed thick rock earth concrete wall is huge and will ruin the spectacular viewshaft to the Mount, especially at low tide, one now has when crossing Winston's bridge.
With the present unobtrusive floating barrier the marina is flushed by the tides but if the highly visible thick wall were to be constructed, the whole huge marina area would become dead stagnant water.
Remember, 17 years ago 33 hectares of deep tidal blue water were reclaimed just for the marina carpark! Where are the Maoris? Green Party? DOC? Forest & Bird? RC? Non-marina boaties? The Media?

Hylton Rhodes,
Tauranga HarbourWatch Inc.