“A commercial dry dock will bring specialist skills and international customers to NZ, maintaining large ships in a manner that a maritime nation desperately needs,” Peters said.
Estimated to cost $500 million, the dry dock will enable large ships and ferries to be serviced in NZ. A report by Northland Inc suggested the facility could create an additional 1135 jobs and generate an income of $290m a year by 2060.
Peters said procurement is close.
“We are getting closer to finalising procurement of a provider for the Regional Infrastructure Fund part-funded dry dock at Northport, which offers the best harbour in NZ as it is deep, there is plenty of land, and transport connectivity is only going to get better.
“As an exporting nation, we need strong connections for shipping lines and Northport offers the efficient shipping connections to bolster port services in Tauranga and Auckland.”
Peters also announced the Marsden Point Rail Link will be open for discussions with investors and potential builders.
The link, estimated to cost at least $300m, will provide rail to Marsden Point and Northport.
“We are pleased to confirm that KiwiRail will open discussions, under commercial agreements, on its Marsden Point Rail Link design data for investors and builders – informing the best approach for building and funding this project,” Peters said.
He highlighted the importance of Marsden Point to the country.
“The burgeoning energy, export and economic powerhouse of Marsden Point means NZ will prosper with much needed jobs, trade, manufacturing and economic development.”
A recent NZIER report commissioned by Northland Corporate Group found Northland could become a $60-billion-a-year economy by 2050 through such projects.
Jones pointed to the new fuel tank, a collaboration between Channel Infrastructure and Z Energy, which will store more jet fuel before it is sent to Auckland Airport through the pipeline spanning Marsden Point to Wiri.
The tank will provide an additional 30 million litres of fuel - enough for the equivalent of about 10,000 flights between Auckland and Wellington, he said.
Channel Infrastructure, which stores and distributes 80% of all NZ’s jet fuel, is investing up to $30m over two years for the tank.
Z Energy is also increasing storage at Marsden Point, Jones said.
“While this on its own is great news for NZ’s fuel resilience, other initiatives being undertaken here such as the potential development of sustainable aviation fuel, the upcoming construction of a bitumen import terminal, diesel peaker and biorefinery make Marsden Point a world-class proposition,” he said.
“As I announced earlier this year, I am particularly interested in how we, as a country, develop these areas further and attract investment into our regions.
“I will be taking a paper to Cabinet soon on the use of special economic zones (SEZs) to do just that. With attractive regulatory regimes and tax treatment, SEZs could be the fuel that really gets NZ’s economic engine roaring,” Jones said.
More to come
