Port of New Zealand

New Zealand destination for sea transport

New Zealand is one of the countries which carries a large proportion of its goods by sea or coastal shipping. This is partly due to the country's geographical location and partly to its high export of food, wool, dairy products, hides, skins, furs, paper, timber and wood products and aluminium. Six different ports of New Zealand are served by the respective destination - main trading partners are Australia, Japan, the USA, Great Britain and the states of Oceania. These include the ports of Wellington and Whangarei, Tauranga, Auckland, Lyttelton, Manukau Harbor and Marsden Point.

The largest ports in New Zealand in terms of cargo handling are Auckland, Tauranga and Wellington. Auckland is home to a large port facility with various sub-ports. Two of these are commercial ports - ferry terminals excluded - which are connected to two inland ports used for inland shipping. Each year, the port facility is called at by about 1,700 merchant ships and is connected to 176 international ports in 69 countries. It generates some NZ$ 24 billion annually. In terms of value, Auckland handles about 60 of imports and 40% of exports. It also handles 50% of the North Island's container traffic and 37 of New Zealand's total container traffic. In absolute terms, based on 2011, this means 4.3 million tonnes of general cargo and almost 800,000 TEUs, i.e. container units equivalent to a 20-foot sea container. Tauranga has a natural tidal port which is subject to a strong tidal current. The tidal range can reach values of up to 1.98m, which can cause problems for smaller ships and boats.

Throughout the year, cruise ships and container ships call at Tauranga via the main channels during day and night. The secondary channels are used for leisure activities such as water skiing, swimming, diving etc. In 2011, a total of 13.5 million tons of general cargo was handled in Tauranga, 58 % of which was for export, as well as 590 TEU of container freight. Destination was mostly one of the Asian countries. Wellington, the capital of New Zealand, has a natural harbour of tectonic origin. Thousands of merchant ships enter and leave there every year. In 2011, they generated a turnover of 89 TEU (especially oil and petroleum) and 10.3 million tons of general cargo. The region's largest container port and a terminal for tankers are also located here. In addition to commercial use, the port is also used for ferry connections.