Support growing for Northport at Marsden Pt taking Auckland's port work

Support for moving Auckland's port work to Northport, at Marsden Pt, above, is growing.

The company that owns Northport will "move mountains" to bring Auckland's port work to the deep water port at Marsden Pt.

And Northland Regional Council says a managed Ports of Auckland (PoA) shift of its operations to Northport would bring a substantial boost to the regional economy.

A high-powered working group has recommended the managed closure of the PoA and the development of Northport as the best way forward for the freight future of the upper North Island and New Zealand.

The Government-commissioned group's preference allows for the continued operation of the Port of Tauranga (PoT), a new inland freight hub in Auckland's northwest and a rejuvenated North Auckland rail line with a spur to Northport. Auckland would retain cruise ship visits.

The recommendation is contained in the second report of an $850,000 study for an Upper North Island Supply Chain Strategy (UNISC) and says the total cost of the plan, including upgrading the rail line to Auckland and putting a rail spur to Marsden Pt, would be about $10 Billion.

Overall, a full move to Northport could generate 2000 jobs a year and a net economic benefit of $200m over 30 years.

Northport is jointly owned by PoT and Marsden Maritime Holdings (MMH).

MMH chairman Murray Jagger welcomed the findings as "solutions-based" and "progressive".

Jagger said much would hinge around the expected practical recommendations from the working group, on how its preferred strategy of capacity growth at Northport should be supported by investment in "landside infrastructure".

"We spoke several weeks ago about how we might be able to help the upper North Island vehicle import industry to revolutionise completely, and to future-proof, its business model," he said.

"We said at the time that this couldn't happen without significant government investment in road and rail links. We note the emphasis in (the) report on the need to reduce the friction between freight and passenger movements, particularly in congested areas, and the prioritisation of freight modes such as rail, and coastal shipping where possible."

Jagger said concerns about adding to traffic congestion on State Highway 1 were "valid" but could be addressed as part of a wider roading and transport strategy for Northland.

MMH was ready to engage with Auckland businesses, PoA and Auckland Council, and would "move mountains" to bring the working group's preferred strategy into being.

"We don't see Marsden Point as a competitor to PoA. We are much more interested in discussions around how we might facilitate Auckland's growth by providing long-term solutions to the well-documented long-term capacity and congestion challenges the city faces," he said.

PoA has a stake in 180 hectares of greenfield development land at Marsden Point, through its 19.9 per cent shareholding in MMH.

NRC CEO Malcolm Nicolson said the group's review is intended to guide the development and delivery of a strategy for the Upper North Island to ensure the supply chain is fit for purpose long-term.

From the NRC's perspective, there was obvious merit in much of what had been proposed, not the least of which included a substantial boost to the regional economy.

"Pleasingly, there's also a very clear recognition that Northland needs a fully integrated transportation system comprising various methods of transportation – rail, road and coastal shipping – for its economy to flourish," Nicolson said.

"Additionally, the report's authors have recognised the importance and necessity of 'resilience', which is especially important for Northland which has fewer options in that regard for a number of reasons."

The benefits of healthy competition and importance of cost efficient transport has also been traversed, recognising the latter is what freight users will choose in selecting their transportation options, he said.