Five-year-old boatshed platform earmarked for Christchurch's coastal pathway already rusting

Nicole Mathewson Reporter from The Press

From reporter Tina Law:

A newly-built boat shed platform in coastal Christchurch is sitting unfinished after rust was discovered.

The issue has forced a temporary redesign of Christchurch’s long-awaited coastal pathway, which will go largely around the Moncks Bay platform until a resolution is found.

About 40 metresof the last section of the pathway, linking Ferrymead and Scarborough Beach, was supposed to traverse the boat shed platform, which is being built by the Christchurch Yacht Club.

Christchurch City Council gave the club $239,713 towards the project, on the condition the club guaranteed public access.

But the platform, which will eventually have the boat shed erected on top of it, cannot yet be used for the pathway, after rust was discovered on parts of it.


The platform, which sits just north of the club and replaces a boat shed that collapsed during the 2011 earthquakes, was built in 2018.

Christchurch Yacht Club commodore Sean Thomson​ said the club was “working through the issues” with its contractor and lawyers.

He was not able to say when the issue would be resolved.


Thomson said the platform was supposed to have a long life, but rust had been discovered on the ramps and in some other areas.

It was still intended that the platform would form part of the pathway, he said.

In the meantime, the council has developed “a work-around solution”, head of transport Lynette Ellis said.

She would not say what the solution was, but Christchurch Coastal Pathway Group chairman Hanno Sander​ said the pathway would go around the platform.

The path was supposed to be 4m wide across the platform, but would temporarily reduce to about 2m wide.


Sander said the issue was one of many that ended up forming part of the design process, including working around nesting penguins.

Ellis said the construction programmes for the platform and pathway did not align.


The issue came to light during the detailed design process, she said.

“We still anticipate utilising the platform in the future.”


When asked if the “workaround” had cost the project money, Ellis said any additional costs would be covered within the existing budget.

She said the final section of the pathway would still open to the public in early 2024. Work started in November 2021.

The Moncks Bay section was being built with $15.8m of the Government’s “shovel-ready” funding. The council was funding the additional $1.5m.


Part of the final section, from the former tram stop to the Christchurch Yacht Club, will open on Friday, but the remaining part would take longer.

It had to be cantilevered out over the Avon-Heathcote Estuary because the road space was limited in some areas.