21 September 2016

Whangarei Harbour Radio will change its radio frequency this weekend (from midnight on Friday 23 September) to VHF channel 11. A listening watch will be maintained on the existing channel 19 for a week but this will be switched over to Coastguard New Zealand on Saturday 1 October.

Northport, which manages the harbour’s shipping operations centre, is urging skippers of commercial vessels and all local boaties who use Whangarei Harbour Radio to make note of the frequency change.

19 March 2015

The New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union has claimed today that Northport “does not want a rail link” and that a rail link “does not feature in the Port's 30 year plan."

Our position has always been, and remains, that while rail is not a short-term priority for Northport we support the designation of the rail corridor as it does fit with our strategy of long-term growth. 

There is a subtle difference between this position and that reported by the NZ Taxpayers’ Union. 

Boaties and boat-watchers on and around Whangarei Harbour will notice a new and unusual addition to regular marine traffic. Northport has a new work-boat, an 8.5m aluminium catamaran called Manaia, built to the port’s specifications by Whangarei aluminium pontoon boat builder Blackdog Cat Boats. She was launched on 31 July at Marsden Cove Marina where she will be stored.

Northport has appointed an Operations Manager. David Finchett has more than 20 years of experience in senior operations, project and technical roles on high value, safety critical and complex sites. Before joining Northport he was the infrastructure and Operations Manager at the Trawsfynydd nuclear power station in Wales.

His early career involved working with the Royal Navy’s nuclear submarine fleet.

Northport, the deep-water port at the mouth of Whangarei harbour, has posted record cargo volumes and ship movements for the year ending 30 June. Tonnage across the wharf grew by 13.5 percentover the previous year to 3.095 million revenue tonnes.

The port saw 253 ship calls, 38 more than the previous year. Occupancy of Northport’s existing berths is at a record 52.9 percent.

The brightest ‘sector’ navigation light in Australasia was switched on today at the entrance to Whangarei Harbour. The$300,000 navigation aid, commissioned and installed by Northport, is one of the top 10 brightest sector lights globally. It replaces one which was 26 years old and only bright enough to operate at night.

Northport  
17 May 2012

Press Release
For Immediate Release

Northport’s weather and tide monitoring to be shared with boaties

1st April 2012 - Northport

Northport has ordered a 2nd Wave Rider Buoy (WRB) from Axys Technologies in Canada. After several months of planning and analysis, the green light was given to the operation in late 2011 from the board of Directors, for a purchase to be made in the New Year.

Terminal Facilities Manager Greg Blomfield (BSurv) has conducted a study on the many types of corrosion that can affect the port's piling and structures.

This was recently published in Corrosion and Materials Magazine and you can read his article here>>