Ports of Auckland and Napier Port announce strategic alliance

Ports of Auckland Limited and Napier Port today announced a strategic alliance which will provide operational, economic, sustainability and community benefits.

“Ports of Auckland and Napier Port are the gateways to two of the largest North Island provincial economies with significant growth and demands on infrastructure,” said Ports of Auckland Chief Executive, Tony Gibson.

The partnership will allow Napier and Auckland to work together to find ways to optimise services for freight customers and achieve further scale and efficiencies in the supply chain. It will prompt even greater competitive contestability and resilience in New Zealand’s supply chain to help lower costs to exporters and importers.

“There is a natural fit between Ports of Auckland and Napier Port. We share a similar way of working, common customers and supply chain opportunities and have similar ownership structures so that’s a great base to work from,” he added.

Napier Port Chief Executive, Garth Cowie, said the alliance also creates an opportunity to collaborate, share best practice and innovate in technology, health and safety and sustainability practices, areas where both ports are seeking to advance further.

“Napier Port’s vision is to be central New Zealand’s leading provider of port and logistics solutions. This alliance fits with the natural flow of freight in the North Island, based on ports close to demand centres and Auckland’s weighting towards imports and our strong export base.”

“Both operators are committed to growing our talent so we will be developing a joint talent pool, driving skills development and opportunities like staff exchanges where it makes sense,” he added.

“The alliance is a significant and exciting development for local exporters and the local community,” said Mr Cowie. “Better international freight links will benefit the Hawke’s Bay region, encouraging additional investment and supporting the growth of local employment opportunities.”

Amanda Liddle, Executive Officer at ExportNZ Hawke’s Bay, said: “This alliance truly demonstrates what we believe in at ExportNZ, that businesses should consider partnerships and collaboration in order to achieve better results. It is a win-win situation for all exporters, as it will lead to an even more streamlined approach.”

The strategic alliance builds on Napier Port and Ports of Auckland’s existing joint venture in Palmerston North’s Longburn regional freight hub and will support Ports of Auckland’s regional freight hub network strategy to manage the growing freight market. This strategy helps to balance freight flows, provides exporters with choice, improves access to overseas markets and reduces exporters’ costs due to supply chain efficiencies.

Today’s development complements the Matariki – Hawke’s Bay Economic Development Strategy $25 million Government package announced last week to support road access improvements to Napier Port.