Care for the environment is at the forefront of everything that Waiheke Marina does and we are proud that our success in this area has been recognised with the highest level of Clean Marina certification in New Zealand
“We love our position here in Putiki Bay on the south side of the island,” says Marina co-director Tom Warren.
“We recognise that it is a privilege to be here, and so we do our absolute best to care for it.”
That commitment started from the outset with design and construction of a marina that had minimal impact on the seabed.
“If the marina was removed tomorrow there would be very few clues that it was ever here, because unlike traditional marinas our attenuators (wave breaks), carparks and office facilities are all floating,” explains Tom.
“This means that water flows in and out of the marina with minimal disruption – you’d expect to have excellent water quality and abundant sea life here and you do,” says Tom.
“Because we selected a deep-water site for the marina, no dredging is needed to maintain the marina’s water depth either.”
The marina is conscious of every drop of water that runs into the sea and all stormwater runoff from its carpark decks is collected and treated through a filtration process.
Rather than burden island systems, wastewater is collected and reused safely for irrigation on rural land – a significant but worthwhile investment as the marina team sees it.
All customers are required to uphold high standards related to maintenance, biosecurity practice, and discharge of waste.
“We are doing our best to play our part to preserve the health of the Hauraki Gulf,” he says.
“The Level 3 Clean Marina certification is not easy to achieve, and it has taken a lot of work to get here by the team including Brendan Demchy.”
The Clean Marina program is organised in New Zealand by the New Zealand Marina Operators Association (NZMOA) to promote sustainable environmental initatives. It advocates Best Management Practices. Level 3 certified Clean Marinas are independently audited and can fly the Clean Marina flag.
Tom Warren and Mark Schmack receive Waiheke Marina’s Clean Marina flag.
