Environment Southland is staying silent on the outcome of two private meetings held over the last week to discuss South Port.

The regional council is looking to reduce its 66% stake in the Bluff deepwater port, having previously consulted on dropping ownership to 51%.

An extraordinary meeting of the council’s investment committee last Friday was backed up with an extraordinary meeting of full council on Monday, with ‘South Port Matters’ listed as the topic for both.

The public was excluded from the meetings, and the council would not confirm if a decision was made over a share sell-down, or if an announcement would be coming.

“Sorry we aren’t able to share anything at this stage. When we can, we will let you know,” a council spokesperson said.

The private discussions follow a September 3 investment committee meeting where the council discussed two papers behind closed doors related to the port — South Port Share Sell Down Update and South Port Resolutions.

It said at the time it was exploring options for a possible sell-down, but no decision had been made.

“Any future decision would be based on a range of factors, including market conditions and whether a proposal could deliver an appropriate financial outcome for ratepayers,” council chairman Jeremy McPhail said.

Environment Southland has been looking to reduce its stake since at least 2024 when it consulted with the public during a long-term plan process.

Meanwhile, South Port has hit a purple patch of late, posting a record $16.1 million after-tax profit for the last financial year.

A range of drivers were credited for the result, including cargo growth, agricultural activity, better throughput from the aluminium smelter and cargo for a wind farm project.

South Port was contacted about the recent council meetings but did not wish to comment.

LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.