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The chair of Save Kennedy Point says a proposed marina is an elitist edifice that has no place on Waiheke Island.
The society has succeeded in getting a rehearing of the consent for the Kennedy Point Marina after the High Court found the Environment Court hadn't heard from the Ngāti Paoa Trust Board, which has a mandate to represent the iwi on Resource Managment Act matters.
David Baigent says the judgment means the developer can no longer ping pong opponents between the Environment and High courts, adding to the cost of challenging the development.
He says Waiheke is a place of refuge, and Kennedy Point is a taonga that needs to be protected from a development that will only benefit an elite group of boaties.
"We're talking about berths here that start at $200,000. I shouldn't even use the word boaties. That is a sum of money that has no relation to a bloke going out in a tinnie for a fish on the weekend. These are serious national and international launch owners who are looking for a place to park their gin palaces," Mr Baigent says.
He says marina developer Tony Mair has approached the project with a mix of matey-ness and malevolence, including threatening opponents with individual costs orders.
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