MEDIA & INFORMATION
Port
Background
Northport is situated at Marsden Point at the mouth of Whangarei Harbour. It is New Zealand's northernmost deep-water port, with a flexible facility catering for large, multi-purpose vessels and full cargo handling facilities from its 570m linear berth.
Media Enquiries
Peter Heath
Due North Public Relations
E: peter@duenorthpr.co.nz
P: 021 456 089
OVERVIEW
NZ Deep Water Port
Northport is situated at Marsden Point at the mouth of Whangarei Harbour. It is New Zealand's northernmost deep-water port, with a flexible facility catering for large, multi-purpose vessels and full cargo handling facilities from its 570m linear berth.
Northport has lodged a resource consent application to extend its linear wharf eastwards by 520 metres to a total of 1,090 metres, creating a container handling and storage area that will integrate with the proposed KiwiRail spur.
This eastern development project would grow the total footprint of the port from 49.1 hectares to 66.95 hectares.
47+
Companies registered for port entry
300
Staff from on-site companies
2,355
Port users with active swipe cards
32,125
TEU container traffic (2022/23)
547,108
Total gate movements (2022/23)
670
Average daily truck movements
FACILITY
Common User Facility
8 On-site Companies
Including ISO, C3, ISL, Genera, North Tugz, Marusumi, SMW, Forest Loaders — approximately 300 staff between them.
3 Stevedoring Operations
Including Northport's container handling service, plus three marshallers including Northport's container and break-bulk marshalling.
11 Ship Agencies
A broad network of ship agencies operating across the facility.
5 Government Agencies
MNZ, Customs, MPI, DHB and WorkSafe all have a presence at Northport.
Container Growth
Volume increased from 820 TEU in 2016/17 to 32,125 TEU in 2022/23 — remarkable growth over six years.
24/7 Operations
273,554 inward gate movements and 547,108 total gate movements recorded July 2022 – June 2023.
CONTAINERS
Container Trade
About half of kiwifruit exported from Northland leaves from Northport, up from 25% in 2018/19.
One-stop shop for importers and exporters — can receive and store cargo, pack and devan containers, provide VGM compliance certification.
More refrigerated containers being shipped through Northport; mainly kiwifruit and meat.
Direct container service to Australia, Asia and Europe via MSC and CMA shipping lines.
Weekly coastal shipping container service linking Marsden Point with Tauranga, Auckland and Lyttelton (Pacifica Shipping, introduced Q1 2024).
Konecranes Gottwald Mobile Harbour Cranes
An $8m infrastructure investment underpins Northport's container handling capability, including reach-stackers, dock trucks, MAFI trailers, a simulator module, expanded paved area, LED light towers, and a Terminal Operating System.
CRUISE
Cruise Whangārei
Northport welcomed its first cruise ships in February and March 2024. Northport is working with partners — Whangarei District Council, Northland Inc and the Northland Chamber of Commerce — to build Whangarei Cruise over the next five years (2024–2029).
