Te Whiti: Napier Port reveals name for new $175m wharf

The new wharf which was opened on Friday. Photo / Paul Taylor

Napier Port has unveiled the name of its brand new wharf which will help unlock congestion issues at the port.

The 350-metre wharf - which officially opened on Friday and cost about $175 million - will be known as Te Whiti, which means to transfer or exchange but also to shine.

The new name was announced during a dawn karakia blessing on Friday prior to a grand opening and speeches in the afternoon.

Napier Port chief executive Todd Dawson said he was delighted to be opening the new wharf almost six months ahead of schedule and on budget.

He said bigger vessels - including bigger cargo ships and cruise ships - will be able to visit the port now.

However, he said the biggest benefit was the wharf would help ease congestion.

The new wharf, which was opened on Friday. Photo / Paul Taylor

"Far more vessels can come into the port.

"We now have another new wharf and what that enables is that all our other wharves are more available for spacing congestion issues."

He said the port had struggled with congestion in the past during peak seasons, and it was not uncommon for it to be at capacity with ships waiting offshore.

"For an international benchmark, you would say that ports typically operate at 55 to 60 per cent berth utilisation.

Port chairman Alasdair MacLeod during the grand opening. Photo / Paul Taylor

"In our peak season, our container berths were up around 95 per cent utilised."

He said the only reason it was not 100 per cent was that with bigger ships, you cannot utilise some wharves as extra space was needed.

"And when you have cruises coming through in peak months then there are logging vessels having to wait while there are cruise vessels on wharves one and two, and that is very common.

"So [the new wharf] will unlock all those congestion issues."

An aerial view of the port and the new wharf. Photo / Supplied

He said investing in Te Whiti helped "future-proof" the region.

"It is something like a 50- to 100-year asset that we have built here."

He said container vessels up to 320m long with up to 8500 containers will now be able to use the port, and slightly larger cruise ships will also be able to visit.

Port chairman Alasdair MacLeod said the wharf was officially open for business.

A crowd listening to speeches during the opening. Photo / Paul Taylor

"Today is the culmination of a more than seven-year journey to bring our new wharf to Napier Port and Hawke's Bay."

It took almost three years to finish construction on the wharf.

The project also included a massive dredging programme.

The port is also gearing up to welcome back cruise ships from late October, following more than two and a half years without them because of Covid.