Port of Tauranga eyes up further expansion as government talks reform

Port of Tauranga chief executive Mark Cairns. Photo / File

The Port of Tauranga thinks a two-port solution for the Upper North Island is ''workable''.

Chief executive Mark Cairns said he hoped Port of Tauranga's expertise in operating New Zealand's largest and most efficient port would be helpful to the decision-making process.

"A two-port solution is workable, subject to land-side infrastructure investment, and would address concerns about economic land use in Auckland.

"We completely agree with the Government's view that a final decision needs to be made with the benefit of robust facts and figures.

"International experts have told us that Port of Tauranga can easily accommodate up to 2.8 million TEUs1 on our current footprint. We already have the next stage of capacity expansion under way."

There was also the opportunity to factor in the current and future freight handling capacity of the inland freight hubs in the Waikato, including the Ruakura Inland Port in Hamilton, he said.

"We still have plenty of capacity on the rail connection between Tauranga and Auckland, with the ability to double the current number of trains per day. Already, about half of all our cargo is transported by rail and about 95 per cent of our Auckland-related containers are transported by rail to and from MetroPort, our inland port in South Auckland."