The Northland Regional Council is to invest $300,000 for the development of a business case for the remediation of the Hokianga Harbour.

Council Chair Tui Shortland says the business case would estimate the cost and benefits of restoring the harbour, which the council acknowledges is of deep significance to mana whenua and the local community.

"This information could then be used to advocate for funding from central government alongside iwi and hapū."

Chair Shortland says an initial strategic business case will be developed to achieve high level understanding of the following:

- The problems (or opportunities) to be addressed and the benefits to be achieved.

- Undertake an initial assessment of risks and uncertainties.

- Recommendations and actions to support further development of the business case.

She says as part of the strategic case development, council will review a wide range of strategic drivers that will help define the strategic context for the wider business case development. These drivers will include council’s Te Tiriti Strategy, key statutory changes (for example Resource Management Act Reform) and local government reform.

Chair Shortland says critical to the success of any business case is the need to build strong partnerships between mana whenua, local and central government and key stakeholders.

"Our learnings from the Kaipara Moana Remediation Programme process is that a great business case is only as good as the partnerships that are built around it."

"It is critical that any business case is progressed within a partnership model and at a pace that allows everyone to come along for the journey."

Chair Shortland says while the technical development of a business case can be outsourced to consultants, the development of those relationships and partnerships will require strong support from council staff.

"It’s intended to commence the first stage of the business case (the strategic case) in the first quarter of the 2024 calendar year unless additional resourcing becomes available in the intervening time."

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