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National has promised that a modern dry dock will be built at Whangārei, but is not committing to moving ports from Auckland to Northland.
Party leader Judith Collins made the announcement in Whangārei on Thursday, promising a modern, fit-for-purpose dry dock and associated infrastructure in Northport, creating 400 jobs.
The project would cost $ 300 million, including $ 100 million for the floating dry dock and $ 200 million for supporting infrastructure and land reclamation.
Northport / supplied
The promised dry dock will be built at Whangārei’s NorthPort. (File photo)
The private sector will pay most of the bill, and National’s promised national infrastructure bank will seek private capital and put up its own investment.
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A dry dock allows water to drain and a ship to rest on a dry platform so that it can be repaired.
New Zealand’s main dry dock at Auckland’s Devonport was built in 1882 and is now too small for many modern ships, meaning work must be done in Sydney or Singapore.
To help get the dry dock off the ground, the national infrastructure bank would also negotiate a 15-year prime contract for major government clients such as the New Zealand Navy, Niwa (National Institute for Water and Atmospheric Research) and the Interislander ferries.
Collins said infrastructure like this would lay the foundation for improving New Zealand’s long-term productivity.
Denise Piper / Things
National Party Leader Judith Collins, flanked by MPs Dr. Shane Reti and Matt King, meets with Northland Chamber of Commerce President Tim Robinson.
The dry dock was one of the top five infrastructure projects campaigned for by the three Northland mayors and Kaipara Mayor Dr. Jason Smith said he was “really pleased” with the announcement.
Last month, the dry dock was rejected as a turnkey project due to high costs, but public-private partnerships like those announced by National were “definitely a way to go,” he said.
“I am pleased that these messages are being transmitted and the opportunities [of Northland] they are being heard. “
Whangārei was chosen as the site, over contenders like Picton, because it has an available workforce, is close to Auckland’s main naval base in Devonport, is New Zealand’s deepest natural harbor, and has acres of undeveloped land.
But Collins did not commit to one of the other key projects Northland leaders are pushing for: moving ports from Auckland to Whangārei.
Collins said such a move could be part of a 20-year plan.
But he said more work needed to be done, both to improve Whangārei’s business case for places like the Firth of Thames, and to improve Whangārei’s infrastructure.
“I thought the most sensible thing to do would have been first four-lane Auckland to Whangārei, then build a proper rail access, then everything else around it.”
Collins also did not commit to moving the naval base from Devonport to Whangārei, saying there were many disruptions involved in the potential change.
