Ports and wharves

Since 2018, the Government has invested $242.2 million in ports and wharves through Kānoa, helping to revitalise, upgrade, or extend existing ports and wharves, and keep regional New Zealand accessible and connected to the same trade opportunities as the larger metropolitan ports.

All investments are aligned with regional action plans and many of these projects include further infrastructure upgrade components, creating indirect jobs for local residents.

These projects have enabled the local maintenance of large vessels and allowed small-scale businesses, such as fishing operations, to grow alongside large-scale aquaculture initiatives.

Te Pūwaha (Whanganui Port)

The Government has invested $31.75 million of Kānoa administered funding into the Whanganui Revitalisation Infrastructure project, Te Pūwaha.

This project will help the port meet increasing demand for freight moving throughout the region and enable better utilisation of the traditional Whanganui port area and new Marine Precinct for boat servicing. It will improve the aesthetic appearance of the area, create jobs and training opportunities for local people, as well as supporting the expansion of local businesses.

Kānoa funding was allocated as follows:

• $12.5 million equity investment and $5.0 million loan towards Whanganui District Council Port infrastructure project to upgrade 400 metres of wharves, develop marine infrastructure and improve dredging capabilities to enhance the local boat building and marine industry.
• $7.5 million grant to Horizons Regional Council Lower River Infrastructure project to repair moles and other river training structures that control the alignment of the Lower Whanganui River.
• $5.25 million loan to Q-West Boat Builders to establish a purpose-built facility and 380 tonne vessel hoist for new builds, repairs, and maintenance services within the port.
• $1.5 million Te Ara Mahi funding to the Port Employment Precinct to establish a port employment precinct which will connect local people with jobs created by the port redevelopment and facilitate on-the-job and classroom-based training.

Te Pūwaha is the first major infrastructure project recognising Te Awa Tupua - Whanganui River Settlement - Whanganui District Council.

The project is a collaborative effort, led by iwi and upheld by project partners; Whanganui District Council, Whanganui Port, Horizons Regional Council, Q-West Boat Builders, Te Mata Pūau and the Whanganui District Employment Training Trust (Port Employment Precinct) to create Mauri Awa (abundance for the river), Mauri Ora (abundance for the wider eco-system) and Mauri Tangata (abundance for whanau, hapū, iwi and the wider Whanganui community).

West Coast ports and wharves

The fishing industry provides a range of economic activity and employment opportunities on the West Coast and in April 2020 an $8 million funding package from Kānoa was approved and contracted for renovations and improvements to wharf and berthing facilities at Greymouth and Westport ports.

The installation of new concrete floating pontoons and gangways at Westport and Greymouth, is complete. This work also included the removal of parts of the old jetties to better accommodate the fishing fleets that use both ports.

Additional Kānoa managed investments on the West Coast are funded by the Infrastructure Reference Group (IRG). These projects include the upgrade of the existing slipway in Greymouth to accommodate larger vessels, a precinct upgrade at Westport Port, extraction of 155,000 tonnes of gravel from the Buller River, and an upgrade and repairs of Port Jackson Wharf.

The investments have brought many positive impacts to the West Coast including:

• The expansion of processing facilities by Westfleet (Greymouth) and Talley’s (Westport).
• A boatbuilder is going to set up a branch at Greymouth Port to leverage off the new slipway.
• Westland Mineral Sands has negotiated a lease with Buller District Council for access, and to secure a section of wharfage at Buller Port. This includes investment to upgrade some of the infrastructure.

Blue Highway (Eastland Port – Gisborne)

In early 2023, Cyclone Gabrielle significantly damaged key roads and rail routes to and from Gisborne and Napier.

To provide a lifeline for businesses, residents and the primary sector in these cyclone-stricken regions, the Government funded an emergency coastal shipping route between Eastland Port in Gisborne to Napier.

This shipping route operated for three months and was funded by a $500,000 grant from Kānoa’s Regional Strategic Partnership Fund (RSPF) and a $2.25 million underwrite from the Government. 

The $500,000 Kānoa grant included:

• $250,000 to accelerate the wharf rebuild at Eastland Port, which is currently underway. This allowed a container ship to berth at the same time as export log ships were also being loaded.
• $250,000 for electrical connection infrastructure required for meat transportation.

During the 3-month charter funded by the government, there were 18 voyages and 294 containers moved between the 2 East Coast ports. 233 containers were transported for the meat industry while 61 were for produce. The coastal container service came with significant environmental benefits with ship freight emissions being less than 15% of its road freight equivalent.

Eastland Port retains the gear on hand and processes in place to get a service up and running should the region be cut off in another catastrophic event.

Oceania Marine – Port Whangārei

In 2019, Oceania Marine at Port Whangārei was supported with a $5.84 million loan from Kānoa’s Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) to purchase a 560-tonne capability travel lift, giving Oceania the ability to lift all but the biggest of super yachts and work boats from the water onto dry land for refit and repair services.

With the installation project now complete, the travel lift has established Oceania Marine as one of the South Pacific’s premiere refit and repair destinations for Superyachts, increasing the size of yachts the shipyard can service from 100 tonnes to 560 tonnes.

With Superyacht refits highly lucrative, Kānoa’s investment in this sector has the prospect to be transformational for Whangārei by providing high pay, highly skilled apprenticeship and employment opportunities for the region.