Port of Tauranga’s strong relationship with its community, the environment and its people continues to grow from strength to strength as it emerges from some challenging years.
Port CEO Leonard Sampson says Covid, congestion and the recent economic downturn have demanded much of operational staff and the executive team as they dug deep to maintain smooth operations at the country’s busiest port.
“Our people and partners have weathered multiple storms, both physical and figurative, over the past few years, both inside and outside the port gates,” says Leonard.
Leonard and his team welcome the opportunity to push onward and upward with the port’s many faceted projects that help cement its place as a valued community member, good corporate citizen and proud infrastructure provider.
Port of Tauranga continues to invest in the critical infrastructure needed to deliver an effective supply chain for New Zealand, including new cargo handling equipment.
At a community level, the Port has built on the success of the Port of Tauranga Rescue Centre surf lifesaving headquarters on Golf Road, opened two years ago, and is now sponsoring the Mount Maunganui Lifeguard Service building at the main beach.
The port’s strong connection to the city’s treasured coastline has also been underscored with Port of Tauranga sponsoring a “living seawall” project in Tauranga’s CBD.
The wall includes 100 water pods specially developed to attract tidal plant and marine life to enhance the appeal of the increasingly popular inner-city area. The concrete pods vary from 130kg to 2000kg and include an additional 8000t of rock added with them.
The first stage of the seawall along the northern section from Fisherman’s Wharf to the tidal stairs has commenced, with stage 2 due to commence in 2025.
Over at Mount Maunganui, the Mauao base walking track and the recently commissioned Marine Parade Coastal Pathway have also benefitted from Port of Tauranga input.
The port sponsored a timber viewing platform on the north side of Mauao. A natural playground installed a third of the way along the Marine Parade Coastal Pathway, opposite Te Ngaio Reserve, has also been a sponsorship effort welcomed by families using the new walkway.
“These two projects are the latest in a long line of community infrastructure projects that we’ve been proud to sponsor. Our investments provide an enduring, practical benefit for Tauranga city residents and visitors,” says Leonard.
Committed to the environment
Ever sensitive to its environmental footprint, Port of Tauranga continues to work hard to protect water and air quality.
On the port, sweeper trucks work 24/7 to collect any dirt or debris. Several kilometres of wind fences have been installed to prevent dust migration, and improvements to cargo handling have been implemented with the support of port users.
The port has worked closely with Bay of Plenty Regional Council to ensure additional air quality sensors can be placed in residential areas, with live results available to residents on the council’s website.
Port of Tauranga also oversees an extensive water quality monitoring programme for the harbour, with tests for suspended solids, heavy metal toxicants and other contaminants. Although all results are within compliance limits, the Port has plans to improve stormwater treatment at the Mount wharves over the next year.
We take our environmental responsibilities very seriously and we’re heavily invested in the wellbeing of Te Awanui Tauranga Harbour.
“We take our environmental responsibilities very seriously and we’re heavily invested in the wellbeing of Te Awanui Tauranga Harbour,” says Leonard.
This August marks the one-year anniversary of the port’s links to a facility of a less coastal nature, that is the Ruakura Inland Port facility in Hamilton.
The inland port is part of the massive 490-hectare Ruakura Superhub, which has the future firmly in mind. Early tenants in the new logistics and industrial hub being developed by Tainui Group Holdings include Kmart’s national distribution centre, and shipping giant Maersk’s state-of-the-art cool store.
After some difficult years that have been echoed across the world for all logistics and cargo handlers, Port of Tauranga’s team is looking forward to taking New Zealand’s largest port to a new level.
The port plans to extend its container wharves, within the current footprint, to accommodate an additional berth.
Hopes are high for resource consent to be approved soon so work can begin on ensuring the port is future-proofed.
“Increasing our capacity will allow us to continue our vital role as the main international cargo gateway, connecting New Zealand and the world,” says Leonard.
Phone 07 572 8899
www.port-tauranga.co.nz
