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Northland environmentalists and scientists says moving Port of Auckland operations to Northport would be a disaster for Whangārei Harbour and the species that rely on it.
Tūtūkākā-based ocean ecologist Glenn Edney says it's one of the most important harbours in the Pacific for its diversity and richness, and its shellfish beds were historically some of the most prolific in the Pacific.
That's why the harbour has always been such an important part of Māori life.
Orca specialist Ingrid Visser says more than half the country's 200 orca use Whangārei Harbour regularly, foraging for stingray in its shallow waters, it's a critical feeding and birthing place for bluenose dolphins, and it is also the first harbour in New Zealand’s modern history to have humpback whales and southern right whales visiting.
That would all be threatened by a large industrial port.
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