Big push to bring vehicle imports to Northport

Could imported cars, like these pictured at Auckland’s Bledisloe Container Terminal, sit alongside export products at Northport, in Whangarei, above.

A private members bill in Parliament could clear the way for Northport to become the place to store the country's imported cars rather than on expensive Auckland waterfront land, the bill's backer Northland MP Winston Peters says.

NZ First Leader Mr Peters said Northport - with its large landholdings around Marsden Pt - was the common sense place to land the cars, but a clear commitment is needed from the Government and Kiwi Rail to build a rail link to the port and upgrade the line to Auckland first.

Northport, in Whangarei.

Last week, Ports of Tauranga (PoT) boss Mark Cairns said car imports should be moved from Auckland to Northport, saying the business does not stack up financially at Tauranga and he questioned if cars were the best use of port land in Auckland.

It is a testimony to successive governments neglect of Northland that this is the only port without a connection to it.

Northland MP Winston Peter

Auckland iwi Ngati Whatua is supporting the call, with spokesman Russell Kemp saying Northport could be well suited to handle the import of cars.

"For this to happen, it will require an integrated approach to developing road and rail infrastructure between Auckland and Whangarei involving central government, local government, the transport sector and private investment," Mr Kemp said.

But regional development agency Northland Inc does not consider the rail-link itself as the primary driver for the future of Northport, particularly given the current low volumes of freight moved by rail within the region.

However, it is undoubtedly an option that needs to be maintained for the future, which is why a strategic decision had been made by NRC to designate and protect a rail corridor, Northland Inc CEO David Wilson said.

Car imports are one reason for a controversial expansion of Bledisloe Wharf, which was stopped after a historic court victory by port opponents in June. In the past year, 240,000 vehicles crossed the Auckland wharves and this number is forecast to grow to 341,000 by 2041.

"I think the solution for cars is Northport, Mr Cairns said. PoT owns 50 per cent of the business at Marsden Pt.

The cost of extending the North Auckland rail line to Northport had been costed at $100 million while the line to Auckland needed a major upgrade.

Mr Peters has his Waitemata Harbour Protection Bill in the Parliamentary ballot and if selected and passed it would freeze the Ports of Auckland's growth to its physical footprint as of March 27, 2015.

"Mr Cairns is talking common sense. That has been realised by a number of people for a long time ... but we need a commitment to make this happen. The key is the rail track. For a minimal expenditure we could be providing a railway into that port,' he said.

Mr Peters was not aware of any other major port anywhere in the world that did not have rail access.

"Northport ... does not require dredging like Auckland does. It should be a leading New Zealand port and that in turn creates a business case for an upgraded rail link to Auckland and a new rail connection to Northport.

"It is a testimony to successive governments neglect of Northland that this is the only port without a connection to it. Northport has long been the most sensible and unencumbered option to grow sea freight in northern New Zealand," he said.

Mr Wilson said the bigger question is what was being done to assist the development and expansion of Northport?

"Vehicle imports are only a part of a much wider consideration that takes into account the logistics and support of the upper North Island economy."