Auckland Council has issued 21 abatement notices to owners of boats illegally moored on Waiheke Island.
The abatement notices come after the council’s Targeted Initiatives team spent several months working with the boating community in Putiki Bay to address illegal mooring within the coast marine area.
Boat owners ignore requests
“We’ve repeatedly asked boat owners to move their vessels, however a number of them did not respond to any of our many requests. As a result, we’ve issued them with abatement notices,” says Adrian Wilson, the council’s Team Leader Targeted Initiatives.
“Anyone who does not follow the notices’ instructions may face infringement fines and potential prosecution,” Mr Wilson says.
“We’re also looking to address the large amount of boating related items, such as abandoned tenders and dinghies, some of which have been abandoned or stored on the council reserve for several months. We ask that the owners of these items arrange removal as soon as possible.”
Initiative for the community
The council is working to remove the clutter of boats and other related items, following on from the significant improvement made to the surrounding area through Waiheke Local Board funded projects, Mr Wilson says.
“This is being done to benefit the whole community, so that everyone is able to use the beach, and to stop the rubbish, debris and other items from the boats ending up in the water.
“We’ve made some progress already, and several boats have been moved to the official moorings within the bay itself, and we’d like to thank those boat owners for their cooperation,” he says.
Contact Harbourmaster for official moorings
Boat owners who still have their vessels illegal moored in the area can find further information on official mooring sites from the Harbourmaster.
