Ports of Tauranga has no immediate plans to gobble up its rival business in Auckland.
Mayoral candidate John Tamihere yesterday outlined plans to sell Ports of Auckland, saying Ports of Tauranga will be in "boots and all" when the company is split, with the business going on the block and keeping the land in public hands.
It could also be sold to interests as far away as Singapore, he said.
Under Tamihere's proposal, the new port owners would lease the land from the council at a commercial rate for up to 25 years to develop an agreed exit strategy.
"The port must move, but exactly where it moves to will be part of ongoing discussions," he said.
Ports of Tauranga chief executive Mark Cairns told the Herald everyone, including the board and management of Ports of Auckland, agrees the port needs to move from 77ha of prime real estate in the heart of Auckland City.
Cairns said there are widely differing views around the timeframe and the process of relocating Ports of Auckland's freight demand.
"What we need is a clear plan to ensure the optimum outcome that is supported by robust economic analysis and one that will enable a seamless transition with minimum disruption to imports and export flows and will ensure that appropriate capital investment lead-times can be coordinated," he said.
Cairns backs the ports study set up by the Government to look at how the existing ports at Auckland, Marsden Point and Tauranga could be reconfigured to provide the best options for long-term growth.
The first of three progress reports from a working group in April suggested an inland port in west Auckland and a vehicle importing and servicing centre at Northport among a dozen potential transport investments to improve freight handling in the upper North Island.
The working group plans to report back to the Government in June with options and complete more detailed costings and recommendations in September.