Ports are long-term infrastructure assets, so we need to be on our game and be prepared for the future from a customer's perspective.
What is the key thing to balance cost-effectiveness for existing customers with the ability to attract new customers at the same time?
Napier Port needs to continue to plan and build the right infrastructure and services to meet the needs of both today's customers and the customers of the future.
We are working closely with our customer base, most acutely local importers and exporters, to understand what they need and when they need it.
Gone are the days when New Zealand ports could build infrastructure and hope it would be used. That's why getting our proposed new wharf right is so critical.
We are reaching a milestone in this project with the submissions for the resource consent closing on Tuesday and we are looking ahead to the next stage of the process.
The new wharf would make room for more ships to come to Napier, get increasing volumes of logs and containers across our wharves efficiently and allow more cruise passengers to experience our stunning region. It's vital for our region that this project goes ahead.
We are working really hard to get a robust business case in place so we can make that project happen and that, more importantly, the end result fits the needs of our local customers.
What technology would you like to see used more often in NZ to ensure the tyranny of distance is not a barrier to NZ trading with the world?
Napier Port is already providing smart and innovative technology solutions to our customers and there are so many clever technologies just over the horizon.
We need to grab hold of technologies that enable fast and accurate sharing of data across the whole supply chain; to extract efficiency out of the flow of goods and utilisation of our assets and those of our transport partners.
How do you expect the shipping industry to be effected by emerging technology in the near future and what do you need to do to ensure Napier Port is in a position to capitalise on that?
The shipping line sector has indicated it will be soon utilising technology to move further upstream into the customer supply chain, to enable the consumer to interact more directly with shipping lines (versus via a freight forwarder) or integrating their existing freight forwarding businesses into their shipping network.
Shipping lines, such as Maersk, are already developing technologies to link into market opportunities presented by producers connecting directly with the end consumer.
That technology will allow better utilisation of assets across the end to end supply chain.
Technologies like blockchain will revolutionise the supply chain, streamlining transactions and providing better visibility. We need to be ready when it arrives as an integral link in the chain. Napier Port can capitalise on that by adopting and enabling that technology suite for our customers.
What is the key business lesson that you have taken to heart over the years?
Over my career, I've really taken to heart the value of diversity – diversity of thought and diversity of people.
Diversity breeds better solutions and those solutions don't always come from the top – they're regularly from the coal face, where people often understand the problems best.
I'm also very aware of the need to be adaptable and the ability to change is more important than ever. If we stand still, we will literally be passed by.
Hawke's Bay is not immune to that.
