Carter's Iport sections hit the market

Monday, 7 August 2017

Selwyn District mayor Sam Broughton with Tim Carter, director at Iport.

Christchurch's Carter Group has released more commercial sections at its Iport business park at Rolleston over the road from Selwyn District Council's Izone southern business hub.

The first sale of land at Iport was in November 2014 when Lyttelton Port of Christchurch purchased 27ha for $24.3 million to set up its Midland 'inland port'.

Lyttelton Port's game plan was to counter Port of Tauranga's inland port at Izone, called Metroport.

Iport director Tim Carter said about 92 per cent of Canterbury's exports go through Rolleston, making it an aggregation point for road connections west, south, and north of Christchurch, and rail to the West Coast, and to the south and north.

* New operator for Rolleston inland port promises fewer trucks through city**

Carter downplayed the port rivalry, saying that the combined impact of Iport and Izone will be significant.

'This will be the industrial hub for the greater Christchurch area. The Selwyn District Council's visionary approach to Izone, in our opinion, has made it the most successful industrial development in New Zealand.'

Lyttelton Port's general manager, inland ports, Sean Bradley said trade volumes were increasing via KiwiRail's services between Lyttelton and Rolleston, reaching six return train trips each week.

'We have the capacity to grow that to six return train trips a day, every day of the week. Each one of these return train trips can take up to 80 trucks off busy Christchurch roads,' Bradley said.

Another business at Iport is Nelson Petroleum Distributors, an independent distributor owned by the Milne family of Nelson with 40 outlets around the country, half of them in the Nelson area.

NPD chief executive Barry Sheridan, said his company was constructing two outlets on different locations near the entrance to Iport.

One will be a retail outlet with an eight lane forecourt and convenience store, including a café offering and seating.

The other will be a specifically designed three island truck stop, also with a large forecourt, wide lanes and covered, lit canopies.

The release of eight sections at the 122 hectare Iport is aimed more at operators .

The freehold sections range in size from 800 square meters to 1ha, with prices beginning at $168,000.

The lots are being sold unencumbered, with no tie to any construction company.

As a further incentive, Iport will prepay development contributions.

Large-scale earthmoving work by BG Contracting, including 3 kilometres of roading, is on schedule for completion by the end of August.

A southern motorway extension will be completed by early 2019 reducing commuting times from 30 minutes to 15.

The Iport development would also have a retail centre, similar in size to Christchurch's Tower Junction, Carter said.

Carter Group is the private Christchurch-based company of millionaire Philip Carter, with a property portfolio across New Zealand and Australia. His son Tim has played an increasing role in the company in recent years.