Goff: Include Northport

Phil Goff and Kelvin Davis are guided around the Northport site at Marsden Point by chief executive Jon Moore. Photo / Michael Cunningham

The future expansion of Northport needs to be included in an Upper North Island ports review, with the port at Marsden Point more than capable of taking some of the cargo that goes into Auckland, Labour's Auckland issues spokesman Phil Goff says.

Mr Goff was in Whangarei with Labour's regional development spokesman and Te Tai Tokerau MP Kelvin Davis to look at regional development opportunities. The pair visited regional development agency Northland Inc and Northport, at Marsden Point and Mr Goff said the port was in a unique position of having land around it for expansion, while Ports of Auckland - which wants to expand into the Waitemata Harbour - did not.

"Northport also is a natural deep water port and doesn't need constant dredging. We've got half of the country's ports in the upper North Island and we've got to work out a wider port strategy that looks at Northport, Auckland and Tauranga," Mr Goff said.

He said Northport would seem ideal to take Auckland's imported car loads, but the rail line to Auckland would need upgrading and a rail link to the port built.

Mr Goff said a good business case study would need to be done before any government would commit the hundreds of millions needed for both lines.

Northland MP and NZ First Leader Winston 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 Goff said Labour would support the bill to at least select committee stage.

Northport chief executive Jon Moore said the port had an expansion plan and the situation at Ports of Auckland would have an impact on that. "The short-term strategy is centred around providing more economic supply lines for Northland exporters and importers," Mr Moore said.

As part of that the port had recently installed a $5 million container crane. Northport had plenty of potential to grow, with 180ha of spare land around the port. The port has three berths and consent for another one.