Christchurch Airport's new freight apron will be able to host up to eight Airbus A320s.
Airports have welcomed the Government’s plans for a new freight system, which they say will link big airport projects with road and rail.
A major shipping and cargo group also welcomed the move, saying big exporters had been calling for changes to make exports more competitive and imports more affordable.
Transport Minister Chris Bishop today said the Government would launch a freight action plan, update the national freight demand study and set up a freight advisory council.
New Zealand Airports Association chief executive Billie Moore said airports, including Auckland and Christchurch, had already started investing heavily in freight capacity.
Auckland was establishing a new cargo precinct on Manu Tapu Drive, next to the airport’s northern airfield expansion, which opened last week.
And Christchurch was doubling the size of its freight apron.
Moore said the new Christchurch facility would be able to host up to eight narrow-body A320s or four wide-body 767s, compared with just three aircraft at present.
The Christchurch freight precinct at Dakota Park would have direct access to the expanded apron.
New developments in the city included a 7000sq m DHL facility that Moore said was nearing completion.
“The minister’s freight initiatives will help us ensure that these and other major investments across the airport network are properly linked with road and rail, and optimised for freight businesses,” she said.
“This will be essential for supporting regional development and New Zealand’s export-led growth strategy.”
Moore said airports were crucial for time-sensitive, high-value and perishable exports.
“We are pleased to see the Government recognising freight as a national economic enabler and taking action to plan for future growth.”
The NZ Cargo Owners Council, previously the NZ Shippers’ Council, said it had been calling for an urgent focus on efficient freight movement.
The council said its members accounted for more than 70% of New Zealand’s containerised exports and had been asking for some time to be included in discussions about freight policy.
“In the face of increasing global trading uncertainty, our best mitigation is to ensure New Zealand has the most efficient supply chain possible,” council chairman Brent Falvey said.
The council said it was important to capture meaningful freight data to support co-ordinated, rational investment in infrastructure.
“Because of our distance to and from international markets, we are already at a disadvantage,” Falvey said.
“To be competitive, it is imperative that New Zealand operates a highly efficient, reliable, resilient and cost-competitive freight supply chain – from our farm gates, factories and forests across our roads, rail and ports.”
The same applied to imports, he said.
“The greater the efficiencies from port of entry through the supply chain, the lower the cost for consumers.”
Bishop said NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) was leading the freight action plan.
The move comes soon after Bishop’s colleague James Meager launched an aviation action plan.
The freight action plan’s tasks included researching strategic vulnerabilities of the freight network.
Bishop said every mode of transport had a role in a well-functioning freight system, through road, rail, coastal shipping and air.
In data released this week, the International Air Transport Association (Iata) said global air cargo demand in August was up 4.1% year-on-year.
The Asia-Pacific region posted growth of 9.8% year-on-year.
A majority of air cargo worldwide, about 56.6%, was carried in the cargo hold or “belly” of passenger planes.
The rest was carried on dedicated freighters.
North America was an anomaly, with about 75% of its air cargo carried on dedicated freighters.
John Weekes is a business journalist covering aviation and courts. He has previously covered consumer affairs, crime, politics and courts.