Project Auckland: Time to welcome the return of cruise ships

The Ovation of the Sea in Auckland, March 2020. Photo / Michael Craig

Kevin O'Sullivan is anxiously waiting for the maritime border to reopen, and downtown Auckland can once again welcome the cruise ship passengers and their spending power.

The return of the majestic cruise ships, set down for mid-October, will be a boon for the local economy and businesses ranging from the provisioning companies (supplying fuel, food and beverage) to the retailers and tour operators. Previously, the Auckland cruise ship sector supported more than 3000 jobs.

Disembarking at the bottom of Queen St, the thousands of passengers from around the world will help bring renewed activity and energy to the city centre.

O'Sullivan, chief executive of the New Zealand Cruise Association, said "we can't afford to lose another season. It's difficult enough now to recover the reputation we had as a destination where things are done easily, with the passenger terminal right in the heart of the city.

"Australia reopened to the cruise industry on April 17. The cruise lines have been operating around North America and Asia for a year now, and we are the last cab off the rank. We have been constantly asked 'why aren't you up and going?'"

The association and the local cruise industry are at the point where they need to confirm bookings for the 2022/23 summer season and thereafter. O'Sullivan says "we might see 75 port calls this season through to April 2023 and we can re-build from there — but the cruise lines need three to four months lag time to deploy ships to our shores."

He says by the end of July, 95 per cent of the cruise ships in the world will be sailing, and for the period up to June next year New Zealand has already lost 180 port calls, with Auckland being the hub.

Cruise line P&O cancelled its winter season out of Auckland to the Pacific Islands.

After Covid-19 struck in March 2020 and cruise ships were shut out of New Zealand, Australia and other neighbouring countries, they were redeployed to the Northern Hemisphere and places like the Mediterranean Sea.

"New Zealand was enormously popular for the cruise ship passengers and increasing in popularity before the tap was turned off. We were heading for a $600m season in 2019/20 and on track to become a $1 billion industry," said O'Sullivan.

In the 2018/19 season, Auckland hosted some 140 cruise ships carrying more than 240,000 passengers and 105,000 crew — the majority of them deciding to spend a day in the city checking out the stores and restaurants or visiting attractions such as the zoo, museum, Kelly Tarlton's Aquarium and Waiheke Island.

That season the passengers spent $200m in Auckland and $550m nationally, with ships visiting the Bay of Islands, Napier, Wellington, Lyttelton, Port of Chalmers and Milford Sound.

It was forecast that ship visits to Auckland and other parts of the country could reach more than 250 a year by 2030 if a suitable infrastructure was available.

Each cruise ship visit brings an average of 2500 passengers but the numbers vary from the large vessels with 4000-5000 passengers to the luxury cruises of a few hundred.

Ponant, which specialises in luxury cruises, was building new vessels to increase sailings around New Zealand, O'Sullivan said. Silversea, part of the Royal Caribbean group, also wants to bring its luxury cruises, butlers and all, downunder beginning in January.

"If the announcement of the maritime border re-opening comes soon, planning can begin to bring ships to Australia and then through to New Zealand," he said.