'The domestic shipping network needs to be independent of the international shipping services, and of the port operations within the terminals that serve them,' the report finds.

They lay out a range of observations in light of this 'predicament'. The consultants say supply chain resilience is threatened by these trends. New Zealand's smaller ports like Nelson will also struggle to accomodate the larger international ships.

As these ships become larger and more expensive to run, the chances of them helping to move domestic freight from Tauranga to Lyttelton will fall. The report details challenges, like the potential closure of Marlborough’s Tory Channel to Interislander ferries and other shipping, and the lack of a big dry dock in NZ.Īs it stands, about 78 percent of cargo containers are moved around New Zealand by international ships – though this includes cargo indirectly imported from overseas or indirectly bound for export. In some instances, we've got to change the whole order process because all of a sudden we missed the vessel.” “We've got loaded containers sitting at the wharf, we've got costs for all those containers sitting here, we've got customers waiting on them. The Kaikōura earthquake also showed how important it is to have a reliable alternative to move freight on top of road and rail,' Transport Minister Michael Wood says. 'Investing in the blue highway will make our supply chain more resilient, which is especially important given the strains that Covid-19 and global congestion have placed on it. The report, commissioned by the transport agency and written by shipping consultants Pacific Marine Management, also finds a new feeder network oriented around hubs in Auckland and Tauranga could improve the resilience of New Zealand's supply chains. That's one of the key conclusions of a new report on how Waka Kotahi should invest more than $30 million in funding that had been earmarked for coastal shipping in the latest National Land Transport Programme. The amount of domestic freight moved by sea rather than road or rail could double in the future if a new coastal shipping network is set up.

Transport ‘Blue highway’: Govt moots $25-40m coastal shipping networkĪ new report commissioned by Waka Kotahi makes the case for massive investment in a coastal shipping network to future-proof New Zealand's supply chain and reduce emissions

Blue trucking