Port unions have welcomed the rejection of a proposal to lease Lyttelton Port’s operations, but say Christchurch City Holdings Limited must now address concerns about the port’s leadership, expansion plans and consultation with workers and mana whenua.

The Maritime Union of New Zealand and the Rail and Maritime Transport Union said CCHL’s decision not to progress the Tōnui Consortium’s unsolicited proposal was an important victory for port workers and the wider Christchurch community.

The consortium, made up of DP World, Ngāti Wheke, Ngāi Tūāhuriri and Te Taumutu, had proposed acquiring a majority interest in a long term lease of Lyttelton Port Company’s operating entity.

MUNZ Lyttelton Branch Secretary Gerard Loader said retaining a publicly owned port was critical for workers and the community.

However, he said the decision did not remove broader concerns about the port’s future.

“We remain deeply concerned about any future privatisation attempts, unmanaged port expansion, and the ongoing lack of genuine, meaningful consultation with both frontline workers and mana whenua,” Loader said.

The unions pointed to Christchurch City Council’s 2026/27 Letter of Expectation to CCHL, which opposed leasing the port and supported retaining a directly employed workforce.

RMTU Lyttelton Branch Secretary Mark Wilson said the rejection of the lease proposal should be followed by changes to the way Lyttelton Port Company was governed and managed.

“For too long, decisions around port expansion and daily operations have sidelined workforce expertise in favour of top down management,” Wilson said.

“Moving forward, LPC leadership must commit to inclusive consultation with unions and mana whenua.

“True resilience and safety require full stakeholder engagement rather than aggressive management models.”

The unions said declining the lease proposal was only a first step and claimed serious concerns remained about LPC’s leadership culture, board oversight and management approach.

They said they would support a public rally planned for Friday in response to concerns about the future of Christchurch’s publicly owned assets.

Christchurch City Councillor Yani Johanson also welcomed CCHL’s decision, describing the proposal as an attempt to effectively privatise the port.

“I welcome CCHL’s announcement to reject the unsolicited proposal to lease out the port operations of LPC for 50 years,” Johanson said.

“The decision is a rejection of a proposal to effectively privatise the port and supports keeping strategic council assets in public ownership and control, which I applaud.”

Johanson said he believed progressing the proposal would have created significant risks for workers, port users and the wider region.

“Those risks include the potential to erode pay and conditions for local workers, profits made going overseas, a fair share of tax not being paid, and higher charges for users of the port,” he said.

“It was hard to see how any of these would have been beneficial to Christchurch city and the Canterbury region.”

However, Johanson acknowledged mana whenua concerns about the environmental effects of future port expansion.

“I look forward to CCHL working constructively with them to address this,” he said.

Johanson also praised the unions, community organisations and residents who had spoken publicly against the proposal.

“It is vindication that their voices have been heard and that common sense has prevailed,” he said.

CCHL Chair Bryan Pearson said the proposal had not met the threshold for further consideration and was not sufficiently compelling to justify detailed investigation or further consultation with the council.

CCHL said it had also considered Lyttelton Port’s improving operational and financial performance, the resilience of its infrastructure and the leadership required to maintain safe and efficient operations.

The company said it retained full confidence in LPC’s board and management, despite the unions’ continuing criticism of the port’s governance and leadership.