Northport, New Zealand facts for kids

Northport is a busy commercial sea port located at Marsden Point in Northland, New Zealand. It sits right at the entrance to the Whangārei Harbour, next to the Marsden Point Oil Refinery. This port is special because it has naturally deep water, reaching a maximum depth of 14.5 metres. It is the most northern port in New Zealand that can handle many different types of cargo. It is also the closest port for New Zealand to reach many international markets. Northport is about 100 kilometres north of the Auckland Northern Motorway, and around 75 nautical miles north of the Port of Auckland.

History of Northport

The idea for a container port at Marsden Point first came up in the 1960s. At that time, the city of Whangārei used Port Whangārei, which was located further up the harbour.

Building the Port

In 1988, the Northland Port Corporation was created. Its job was to take over the commercial port activities from the Northland Harbour Board. Then, in 2000, this corporation teamed up with Port of Tauranga Ltd to create Northport Limited.

Construction of the new port at Marsden Point began in October 2000. The first part of the port, called a berth, opened in June 2002. A second berth opened just two months later.

Changes and Growth

Port Whangārei stopped handling commercial ships in April 2007. All its remaining cargo operations moved to the new Marsden Point location. A third berth at Northport opened in October 2007, allowing even more ships to dock. In August 2014, the Northland Port Corporation changed its name to Marsden Maritime Holdings Limited.

How Northport Works

Northport is a versatile facility that can handle many different types of goods and the ships that carry them.

Cargo and Capacity

The port handles a wide range of cargo, including:

• Logs
• Woodchip
• Veneer
• Coal
• Kiwifruit
• Cement
• Fertiliser

In 2015, Northport added a special mobile crane to help move containers. The port can also host large cruise ships.

Northport currently uses 48 hectares of land and has 570 metres of space for ships to dock. There is a lot of storage space within the port. It also has over 180 hectares of land nearby that can be used for port and business activities. Northport has the ability to grow even bigger, expanding to 70 hectares and up to 1,400 metres of docking space.

Port Activity and Jobs

In a typical year ending in June, about 271 ships visit Northport. The port handles around 3.4 million tonnes of cargo during this time. The port and its related businesses support nearly 300 jobs for people in the area.

North Tugz is a company that provides marine services to Northport. They help some of the largest ships entering New Zealand waters, including those going to the Marsden Point Oil Refinery.

Northport Limited is the company that runs the port facilities. A second crane was added in early 2020 and started working in May 2020. In February 2021, Northport improved its navigation and crane simulator. This system can now be used by other port operators and marine services around New Zealand for training and planning.

Marsden Point Rail Link

In October 2017, the government announced plans to spend money on improving the North Auckland Line. They also planned to build the Marsden Point Branch, which is a new rail line that would connect to Northport. This new rail link was estimated to cost $200 million.

The government also decided to study if it would be possible to move the Ports of Auckland to Northport. Some people also thought that the area around Northport could become a special economic zone. This means it could have different rules for taxes and duties to encourage more business.