A protest sign warning developers outside the bay. Photo Richard Jones

Kennedy Point Boatharbour’s proposed 186-berth marina is in essential demand and supported by hundreds on the island and around New Zealand, with anti-marina protesters just a “small subset” of “widely-held views”, say lawyers representing the marina’s developers in Auckland’s Environment Court.

Derek Nolan QC, in his opening statement on behalf of Kennedy Point Marina Boatharbour Ltd (KPMB) on the first day of the appeal hearing against the project on Monday, argued that views from groups such as Save Kennedy Point are “from a small minority,” of the community and not any more important “simply because they are passionately held.”

One marina supporters group was made up of more than 150 people, while the company has been contacted by more than 700 parties interested in buying a berth at the marina, he said, addressing Judge Laurie Newhook and commissioners Ian Buchanan and Anne Leijnen. Members of the Kennedy Point Marina Supporters’ Group (KPSMG), are “interested in the boating and recreational resources the marina would bring to Waiheke Island,” he argued. • Richard Jones

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