ARTICLE – MFA Newsletter – 18 May 2026

Recent progress

We had strong interest in the Havelock Channel and Marina Redevelopment Project at the recent Havelock Mussel Festival.

Thank you to everyone who visited our stand in the MFA tent to speak with the project team. It was encouraging to hear the level of support from both the local community and industry.

Gavin Beattie, Anouk Euzeby and Anthony Ritchie representing Port Marlborough and Marlborough Sounds Marinas at the Havelock Mussel Festival

All necessary consents for the redevelopment have now been received. This is a key milestone and allows us to move forward with the next stage of the project.

Construction packages that make up the project have now been released to the market for tender. These include:

• Jetty works: piling, installation of new floating concrete jetties, gangways, and assembly
• Dredging works: removal of ageing jetty structures, dredging of the marina basin and channel, and careful management of dredged material in line with consent conditions
• Landside works: including pavements, rock revetments, and the provision of power, water and communications to the new jetties

These are complex work packages, designed to ensure the redeveloped marina functions well operationally while also improving the overall marina aesthetics.

Project approach

Material that is dredged will be managed on land in a controlled and considered way. It will be dewatered on a Port Marlborough site in the marina to reduce the moisture and saline content of the material, then taken by truck to a designated deposition area for placing, this area will be restored to pasture following the deposition activity, with planting to enhance surrounding waterways. This approach has been carefully designed in collaboration with environmental planners to meet consent requirements and support positive long-term environmental outcomes. It also requires detailed planning and staging, which is being worked through as part of the overall project programme.

What happens next

With consents in place and procurement underway, we are working towards confirming project costs and timelines for construction.

Works are expected to begin later this year, starting with channel dredging . Jetty redevelopment will be staged to keep the marina operational throughout the project. Further detail on timing, staging and berth transitions will be confirmed once contractors are engaged and the construction programme is finalised.

What this means for marina users

Our project team is continuing to refine staging and transition planning to minimise disruption for customers.

This includes exploring berth relocation options across the wider Marlborough Sounds Marinas network and maintaining priority access for users with operational or residential needs in the Sounds.

As the programme is confirmed, impacted customers will be contacted by our marinas customer service team to discuss timing and arrangements.

Berth holders displaced by the redevelopment will have priority to return to the new jetties once construction is complete.

Informed

We will continue to provide updates as the project progresses.

For more information, visit the project page:

https://marlboroughmarinas.co.nz/havelock-redevelopment-project/