Auckland port move: Northport still viable despite absence of NZ First – backer

Monday, 14 December 2020

A proposal to move Ports of Auckland's operations to Whangārei remains viable, despite the move's main backers – NZ First – no longer being in Parliament, a businessman says.

The spotlight is on Northport after it agreed to unload the container ship Constantinos P, instead of its Christmas cargo having to wait for weeks to get into the congested Ports of Auckland.

The move sparked traffic safety and congestion fears for the road north of Auckland and served as a reminder of the need for a rail link to the port.

The Constantinos P docking at Northport could be the first of many container ships.

But Kaitaia businessman Wayne Brown – who headed an inquiry into North Island cargo which supported Auckland port moving north – said it shows the market backs Northport.

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The Constantinos P docking at Northport shows the market supports moving Ports of Auckland north, says Wayne Brown.

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Wayne Brown says he will personally push for Ports of Auckland to be moved to Northport. (File photo)

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More container ships are expected to follow Constantinos P and rail is needed, but the Government needs to build a spur to Marsden Point anyway, he said.

KiwiRail has already started buying some of the land needed for the 20km corridor to Marsden Point, and a major upgrade of the North Auckland Line is underway.

New Zealand First backed the move to Northport, with its 2017 coalition deal with Labour including the inquiry headed by Brown, called the Upper North Island Supply Chain Strategy.

The inquiry's final report, in December 2019, recommended a move to Northport but an independent review by Sapere in July 2020 found the best option was a new port in Manukau Harbour.

At the time, the government put off making a final decision on the issue, with more analysis expected in 2021 and Sapere giving a 10- to 15-year window for a decision.

New Zealand First continued campaigning for the Northport move in 2020, but the option is not dead in the water with the being out of Parliament, Brown said.

“I’m just a businessman who’s got a good track record. I’m going to continue making speeches next year and I’m going to drive it,” he said.

While Brown is the former mayor of Far North, he said he is not being paid and has no personal interest in the port move – he just sees it as common sense instead of moving to Manukau, which has a dangerous bar crossing.

Northport does not support relocation

While Wayne Brown supports the relocation of Ports of Auckland to Northport, the port itself does not support a total move.

Northport chairman Murray Jagger said the port has tried to keep out of the politics of the relocation, but it sees itself as complementing the ports in Auckland and Tauranga.

Better efficiencies in the supply chain would see Northport expand to take the freight for Northland and north Auckland, he said.

If Ports of Auckland concentrates on the freight needed only for the heart of the city, it will have enough capacity for many years, Jagger said.

Northport is now engaging with the community on plans to increase its site from 48ha to 75ha and increase berthage from 570m to 1390m.

Jagger said it plans to apply for resource consents in March.