Some of Northland’s dairy exports are now heading overseas through the region’s own port in a trial involving Fonterra and Kotahi, New Zealand’s largest containerised freight manager.

Containers full of dairy products are now being shipped between Northport and Port of Tauranga on Pacifica Shipping’s weekly container service linking the two ports. The initial trial will use a mix of carriers and see around 100 containers taken off the road. If successful, the arrangement could see up to 800 containers off the road annually, with potential for future growth.

The hearing into Northport’s Resource Consent application concluded on Tuesday this week (4 June), some 20 months after the application was lodged and about eight months after proceedings began with a range of verbal submissions at Semenoff Stadium in Whangārei and at Takahiwai Marae.

The panel of independent commissioners, led by Commissioner Greg Hill, now has the task of reviewing the evidence and submissions presented during the process. Northport anticipates that a decision about the application will be made at some point in Q3 this year.

The first scheduled cruise ship to call at Whangārei berthed at Northport at 0700hrs today (Sunday 4 February), helping to cement the 2023/2024 cruise season as New Zealand’s biggest to date. Oceania Cruises’ MS Regatta, with about 650 passengers aboard, was the first of three cruise calls scheduled for the region this summer, with five more due over the 2024/2025 season and a further three in early 2026.

The Port Health and Safety Leadership Group – made up of unions, ports and stevedoring companies, the Port Industry Association, Maritime NZ and WorkSafe NZ – has today released its advice to the Minister of Transport on how to make New Zealand ports safer.

The Port Sector Insights Picture and Action Plan was developed following the tragic deaths of two port workers in 2022, after which the Minister of Transport asked the Port Health and Safety Leadership Group for advice to address health and safety on ports.

Cargo operations resumed at Northport on Thursday last week following the port’s closure in the face of ex-tropical cyclone Gabrielle.

Repairs to a rock wall have been completed and one of the two Wave Rider buoys which lost their moorings in the exceptional swell generated by Storm Gabrielle has been put back in position. The second buoy is being serviced and will be re-positioned shortly.

Northport advises that weather conditions in Northland in the wake of ex-tropical cyclone Gabrielle are expected to ease by 2100hrs today, allowing it open to port users from 0700hrs tomorrow (Wednesday 15 February) for the sole purpose of inspection, repairs and machinery maintenance.

The region continues to suffer rolling power and fibre blackouts, and numerous road closures. Freight and shipping operations will not resume until Thursday 16 February, giving the port and port users time to ensure the site is cleared, safe and ready.

Northport this morning took the decision to keep the port closed until at least 0700 on Wednesday (15 February) as a result of weather conditions created by ex-tropical cyclone Gabrielle’s path down the east coast of the upper North Island. The decision will be reviewed later today with a final call to be made no later than 1500.

All port users have been included in the decision-making process and have supported this decision. The safety and wellbeing of everyone working at the port is paramount.

An independent report into the social and economic potential of plans for growth at Northport says about 1,500 new jobs could be created in and around Marsden Point, in Whangārei and around the wider Northland region by expanding the container port. A proposed shipyard and floating drydock on the port’s western boundary could be the catalyst for another 1,135 new jobs in the area.

The report was developed by Polis Consulting Group for Northland regional economic development agency Northland Inc.

The Board of Northport Ltd has confirmed its intention to lodge its resource consent application for expansion at its eastern end, while continuing to develop plans for the proposed shipyard and dry-dock on its western side.

Northport has joined the PortConnect platform in a move to streamline its container management capability. The port is experiencing a significant increase in container calls and expects this to grow further in coming years.

A vessel normally used to transport cars and trucks will call at Northport tomorrow (16 February) to load approximately 5,000 cubic metres of triboard from the Juken Mill in Kaitaia. The m.v. Istra Ace has sailed from South America and is destined for Japan. She is scheduled to depart Northport late Thursday or early Friday.

Northport is to invest $8m in infrastructure needed to support the growth of container traffic through the port. It is buying container-handling equipment and a simulator module to train staff in its operation, expanding its container storage area and upgrading its lighting to enhance safety during 24-hour operations.

The company is forecasting a 15 percent year-on-year increase in the volume of container traffic for this financial year to the end of June.

Northport welcomes information released today by Waka Kotahi NZTA indicating that the government has instructed it to build a new rail link to Northport.

While current supply-chain issues impacting the country might be unprecedented, they demonstrate clearly the need for a resilient and geographically-astute Upper North Island Supply Chain strategy that makes best use of the three existing ports that already serve the region.

This in turn calls for continued central government investment in, and upgrading of, road, rail and coastal shipping infrastructure.

Whangarei District Council (WDC) is currently notifying relevant property owners, and anyone with a greater interest than the general public, about an alteration that we are proposing be made to Proposed Urban and Services District Plan Changes that were publicly notified in May of 2019.

In short, we believe that the changes that Council wants to make to the District Plan should include adoption of the national ‘Port Noise Standard’ used in best practice land-use planning elsewhere across New Zealand.

Northport has an emergency exercise scheduled for this evening - from around 6.30pm-7pm onwards. Please don't be alarmed by emergency services activity at or around the port this evening - it will be part of the exercise.

Northport has reduced its container loading rate as of 1300hrs today (Saturday 12 December). Its forklift drivers have reached their maximum number of working hours under Northport’s fatigue management policy and only one forklift driver is able to remain on duty up until 1500hrs. This is the time at which Northport has been advising trucking companies since Wednesday this week that its container-loading operations would stop until 0600 on Monday 14 December.

At 11.10am today a fire broke out in the vicinity of the port conveyor system and some adjacent packets of LVL timber.

The Ruakaka Volunteer Fire Brigade and the Refining NZ Emergency Services team were called and responded immediately. Our sincere thanks go out to these teams for their professional and effective response.

There were no injuries as a result of this incident and the port’s emergency response procedures worked as designed.

The largest vessel to call at Northport to date is scheduled to tie up around mid-day on Sunday 6 December. Her cargo includes items that will make their way into Christmas stockings and under Christmas trees all across New Zealand.

Two pontoon modules for the new ferry terminal in central Auckland were lowered into Whangarei harbour today in carefully-orchestrated tandem lifts involving Northport’s two mobile harbour cranes. They were among the last of nine modules built by Ruakaka-based SPIIND Industrial Engineers at its facility on Marsden Point Road, all of which were put into the water at Northport and towed by tug to Auckland.

31 January 2020

Northport Ltd welcomes announcements by the government that significant investment is to be made in road and rail links in Northland.

Efficient transport links are vital for the entire region to realise its full economic potential and we will support any development that seeks to achieve this.

We are delighted that a national discussion is being had about realising the full economic potential of our region, and that aspirations for our region are being enabled with significant and meaningful infrastructural investment.

22 January 2020

Northport Ltd has purchased its second harbour mobile crane to support a growing container trade and to provide increased resilience for dedicated container vessels using the port.  The company has also acquired a $250,000 crane simulator from CM Labs and two new Kalmar terminal tractors to move containers to and from shipside.

12 December 2019

The Board of Northport Ltd has welcomed the publication of the final report by the Upper North Island Supply Chain Strategy Working Group.

Northport Ltd Chairman Murray Jagger said:

“Northport has a very clear vision of the role it can play in the economic growth of Northland, Auckland and New Zealand.

“Significant growth is possible here. We have been clear for many years that we stand ready to assist in any way we can to support Auckland’s growth and the aspirations that Aucklanders have for their waterfront.

19 November 2019

SailGP will return to New Zealand’s Northland region for testing and training ahead of its second season of racing next year. Six F50 catamarans were raced in the successful inaugural season this year and organisers will test the event’s seventh boat in Whangarei Harbour between now and the end of January, using Northport in Marsden Point as the operational base.

6 September 2019

Northport Ltd welcomes today’s announcement by the Minister of Regional Economic Development, Shane Jones, about government’s intention to invest $94.8 million through the Provincial Growth Fund for upgrading the rail line between Swanson and Whangarei.

Northport Ltd is of the view that efficient transport links are vital for the entire region to realise its full economic potential and will support any development that seeks to achieve this.

31 January 2019

Northport Ltd is delighted that the geotechnical tests for the Marsden Point spur line have taken place and we look forward to the results.

Efficient transport links are vital for the entire region to realise its full economic potential and we will support wholeheartedly any development that seeks to achieve this.

4 January 2019

Maintenance dredging will take place at Northport next week for the first time in 17 years. Work to remove sediment build-up in the ship turning basin near Snake Bank, along Northport’s linear berth and at Refining NZ’s Jetty 1 berth pocket will start on 7 January and continue for most of the month.

Northport stressed that the work has nothing to do with either its vision for growth, unveiled earlier this year, or Refining NZ’s channel deepening programme.

4 October 2018

SailGP’s new-class wingsailed F50 catamarans will be tested from mid-October in Northland. The region will become the central technical and development hub for the production and delivery of some of the most advanced boats in the world.

20 April 2018

The first containers to be used on a new direct shipping service between Whangarei, Brisbane and Singapore were delivered to Northport today aboard a vessel named, appropriately, Northern Diplomat. The seasonal fortnightly shipping service is being offered to Northland businesses by Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), a global leader in sea cargo transportation and logistics, and will improve sea freight transit times for local importers and exporters.

24 November 2017

Northport Ltd is celebrating its 15th anniversary. Cargo volumes at Marsden Point have more than doubled since the port opened in 2002 to a record 3.64 million tonnes last financial year. Ship calls have increased from 93 a year to 250 a year over that period, with berth occupancy now at a record 66.4 percent, up from 52.9 percent just five years ago.

6 March 2017

Northport Ltd welcomes and supports the announcement last week by Minister of Transport Simon Bridges that 22km of State Highway 1 south of Whangarei is to be widened in the largest roading project yet undertaken in Northland.

The announcement sends a positive message regarding central government’s support for economic growth in Northland and recognises the vital role that Northport has to play in this.