The Front Page: Ports of Auckland boss Roger Gray on moving the port, changing the ownership model and working with the union

Ports of Auckland CEO Roger Gray. Photo / Dean Purcell

Everyone in Auckland has an opinion on what should happen to the port.

Business analysts want its ownership structure to change, the mayor wants it to move, some citygoers complain it’s an eyesore, while others enjoy its evening lights.

Further complicating matters is the fact that workers at the organisation have faced years of safety issues and even deaths onsite, leading to tense relations between the union and management.

Fourteen months ago, chief executive Roger Gray walked into a job that few executives would have been bold enough to take. The organisation was fraught with concerns about safety as well as serious questions about financial performance.

On top of this Mayor Wayne Brown had long expressed his view that the port should be moved north given that it would eventually outgrow its position on the waterfront of Auckland.

The port was also underperforming, with many pointing to Napier and Tauranga as examples of why ports should have a mixed ownership model rather than being fully council owned.

So, just over a year into his tenure, what issues has Gray identified and how has addressed them? Does he think the port should move during his tenure? Is he in favour of a mixed ownership model? And how has he responded to the concerns about the safety of workers on the site?

He recently joined The Front Page podcast to discuss all these big questions and give us a sense of his one-, five- and 10-year plans for the Ports of Auckland.

Listen to the full episode of The Front Page podcast to hear Gray’s view on where the port is headed.

The Front Page is a daily news podcast from the New Zealand Herald, available to listen to every weekday from 5am.

You can follow the podcast at iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.