Seven projects have been identified as immediate priorities for a multibillion-dollar rebuild of the Devonport Naval Base. Asbestos-ridden facility among first to go in base upgrade.
They are:
• Replacement of the Navy dry dock’s “caisson” gates.
• Construction of a small-boats facility.
• Redevelopment of the Stanley Bay gate entrance.
• Removal and replacement of the officer training facility at Narrow Neck.
• Replacement of the sea safety training facility at Ngataringa.
• Creation of a transitionary integrated office hub.
• Base-wide network infrastructure planning.
Design and planning for the seven projects is expected to be completed by the end of 2026, at a cost of $25 million.
The projects were selected to address immediate operational risks and compliance issues, and will enable future development.
The government last week committed $4 billion to a Navy rebuild over the next three decades. Devonport Naval Base commander John McQueen (pictured) told the Flagstaff more than 70 per cent of the “Defence estate” buildings had reached the end of their lives. The naval base percentage was probably even higher, he said.
A master plan divided the base up into precincts with works identified in each.
The low-lying and flood prone Northern Yard would be gradually decommissioned and its functions absorbed elsewhere.
One of the first buildings to go would be the asbestos-ridden Officer Training School at Narrow Neck.
McQueen said more than 30 studies, reviews and investigations touching on moving the naval base out of Devonport had been done in the past two decades. Whangarei, Picton, Lyttelton, and Dunedin were all suggested at various times.
The cost of moving the base was always a major prohibiting factor. It is also the de facto government headquarters if disaster strikes Wellington, with its close proximity to Auckland CBD a key plus point.
While the last Labour government decided the base would stay in Devonport, last week’s announcement “draws a line in the sand” and provides a clear future, McQueen said. “It’s a really positive thing for the Navy and the community – no one likes scruffy infrastructure.”
McQueen, a former Westlake Boys High student who took over as base commander in August, said it was “a privilege” to be in a leadership role at a positive time for the Navy. “It’s investing in New Zealand’s future.”
Budget ‘will be based on business cases’
The initial $25 million for planning and design of improvements to Devonport naval base was announced last week by Associate Defence Minister Chris Penk.
Additional budget will be provided over the next 3-4 years based on individual business cases being developed, Penk said.
The government said $4 billion will be spent on upgrading the base from now until 2060. But how this plays out will depend on successive governments.
Penk said the long-term plans would enable capability, give personnel the facilities they needed and strengthen national security. “This will address decades of underinvestment at Devonport.”
North Shore MP Simon Watts said the upgrades would continue to anchor Navy families and careers in the local community.
History of the Devonport Naval Base
The base’s origins date back to when Lieutenant-Governor and naval captain William Hobson founded the city of Auckland, shortly after the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi.
Hobson wanted a place where Royal Navy ships could berth, but considered the waters on the southern side of the Waitematā to be too shallow.
The deep-water anchorage across the harbour was a far better option so a naval facility was established in 1841 in the very small settlement of Flagstaff – renamed Devonport in 1868, after the Royal Navy base in the United Kingdom.
In 1892, the naval facility at Admiralty Reserve –what is now Windsor Reserve – was swapped for five acres of land further west towards Stanley Bay, surrounding the Calliope dry dock.
The dry dock, which opened in 1888, was administered by the Auckland Harbour Board and was the largest dry dock in the Southern Hemisphere at the time.
By 1899 the dry dock had become under-utilised and required maintenance. The board negotiated for the Royal Navy for them to have primary use of the dry dock.
In 1909 the naval facility was formally designated the Devonport Naval Base.
Building continued on a piecemeal basis over the years using the five acres and reclaimed land where the Ngātaringa Domain and North Yard of the base are sited.
During World War I, a training camp was built at Fort Takapuna – previously a coastal defence battery.
This was enlarged further during WWII, when 48 buildings, roads and parade grounds were builtd.
Today, the site has only a trade training school remaining, with the other buildings either demolished or vacant.