What is Keep Our Port Public about?
Background
The Christchurch City Council announced in February 2006 that it was bidding to buy all the 31% of shares it did not already own in the Lyttelton Port Company
It then planned to sell 49.9% to Hutchison Port Company of Hong Kong, the biggest private owner of ports in the world.
In addition, operation of the port would be through a new company, Lyttelton Port of Christchurch, with HPH holding a controlling 50.1% and appointing a majority of the directors.
The coalition, Keep Our Port Public (KOPP), was quickly set up to oppose the privatisation, after almost universal condemnation from the Christchurch public.
Since that time, Christchurch City Holdings Limited has not achieved its initial goals, but the danger of privatization remains.
Christchurch City Holdings Limited stated on 11 April 2006 that “the present proposal in relation to Lyttelton Port Company (LPC) is unlikely to be implemented in the future” and that “we recognise the concerns that people have raised about HPH’s majority ownership in the port operation company.”
The full statement from CCHL is available here.
The Keep Our Port Public website remains active as we keep an eye on proposals to privatize any ports around New Zealand.