The Little Port of Waitemata

Our closest overseas cargo port is Botany Bay Port in Sydney. It has 170 full sized berths.  The Port of Waitemata has eight and a half.

At the moment a lot Waitemata’s  cargo is cleared at the wharf so is cheaper than lugging it out to Wiri. Never mind the traffic congestion in the city. And the inevitable demand for further reclamation.

For $60m we could build a third rail line from the Strand to Wiri, which would unlock huge efficiencies in the way the Port handles cargo. Much of it could come straight off the ship and then on to rail  to Wiri – or MetroPort’s Neilson Street facility.  Which would take a big load off State Highway 1.  But guess what. Ports of Waitemata don’t like that idea. They say it would advantage Ports of Tauranga and their Neilson Street hub.

At this point I’d like to remind you that the Council signed away $60m on a ridiculously expensive computer system three years ago, only to have the project ‘Reset’ and recapitalised with a FURTHER $100m. We could have built the Third Main line and a dedicated passenger terminal at the Tank Farm for that.

Auckland Council made a start on Stage 2 of the Port of Auckland study last week. The Mayor had promised Aucklanders an in depth study of the upper North Island ports that would generate options for future investment.

The report wasn’t due to start till after the Unitary Plan had been approved, but with all the heat around the Ports extensions the report has been fast tracked.

I scope out the study with geographer and commentator Ben Ross,  down at MetroPort, Port Of Tauranga’s inland port hub on Neilson St, Onehunga.