Port of Tauranga has strengthened its position as the country's largest port, after reporting a rise in trade and a record profit of nearly $58million.
Trade volumes through the port for the year ending June increased 12.4 per cent to 15.4 million tonnes, from 13.7 million tonnes in the previous year.
This included 78 per cent more international cargo, excluding cement and oil products that move around the New Zealand coast, and export volume was more than three times its nearest competitor, Ports of Auckland.
The net profit reached $57.9million, up 17.2 per cent from $49.4 million in 2010, and chairman, John Parker, said the result underscored Port of Tauranga's position as the country's pre-eminent port.
"Despite the patchy economic recovery, we have enjoyed strong growth in trade volumes. We are now far from being a bulk and largely log dependent port. Our containerised tonnage now represents 40.5 per cent of total trade," he said.