Kevin O'Sullivan: Wharf 'dolphins' needed to keep our cruise visitors

When Auckland misses out on the larger ships, the country misses out and cruise lines will not book to come without adequate infrastructure. Photo / Greg Bowker

COMMENT: It's cruise season, and our port cities are bustling with visitors keen to explore our beautiful country in the time they have here. New Zealand's cruise sector is growing strongly, and is projected to add $1 billion to the economy in the next decade.

Cruise ship expenditure for the year to June 2018 grew by 18.3 per cent in comparison to the previous year, totalling $434 million spent by our visitors. Auckland was the most visited port with 211,652 passengers arriving in the June 2018 year.

This growth is being driven by larger vessels, more cruises and more exchanges of passengers embarking or disembarking from New Zealand ports, who often stay overnight in the city as a result of the exchange.

Auckland Council is calling for submissions on the proposal to extend berthing dolphins at Queens Wharf to accommodate the bigger cruise ships it is currently unable to host. Auckland is the gateway port for the New Zealand cruise industry. When Auckland misses out on the larger ships, the country misses out, and these cruise lines will not book to come to Auckland without adequate infrastructure.

Ships being unable to berth results in passengers using tenders to and from the ship, providing a less than optimal experience and reducing the amount of time they can spend in the city and its surrounds.

Additionally, ships unable to berth will not take on supplies and other requirements at Auckland, further reducing their spending in the region.

It's important that we steer the direction of the cruise sector rather than just reacting to its growth, and that means significant infrastructure investment and collaboration between the sector, communities and ports to ensure this growth is sustainable.

Ports such as Lyttelton, Picton and Otago have invested significant sums to provide infrastructure for these larger cruise ships. Only Auckland is dragging the chain. This is not good enough from our largest city and, frankly, is an embarrassment.

Auckland has many attractive characteristics as a cruise destination but the absence of a major city on an itinerary reduces the appeal of the country as a whole.

Auckland Council's plans for a longer-term solution are good ones but they are too far in the future. We must have solutions now, and the berthing dolphins will work to ensure we do not miss the opportunities to expand our cruise sector and continue seeing the economic benefits to our cities and regions.

The cruise industry is a competitive business and we are in real danger of becoming in the "too hard basket" for some cruise lines to bother with. This minimal and cost-effective Auckland infrastructure is a simple fix. Let's get on and do it.

• Kevin O'Sullivan is chief executive officer of the New Zealand Cruise Association.