Port’s future under scrutiny
Auckland Council is considering moves to sell a Ports of Auckland Ltd (POAL) operating lease as early as next year, according to media reports.
Under the plans, the council would offload the city’s port business while keeping the prime waterfront land in public ownership.
A three-pronged review into future options for the port is due to be delivered to Wayne Brown, Mayor of Auckland, in the next two weeks before being presented to councillors, reports the NZ Herald.
Eke Panuku, the council’s development agency, is working on development options for the port land with a new stadium expected to be among the options.
Other parts of the review are being carried out by the engineering firm GHD into how the port could operate on a smaller footprint and by the consultancy Flagstaff assessing the process for seeking expressions of interest.
The work continues plans to sell the port business that began under the previous mayor, Phil Goff. Global port operator DP World made an unsolicited $1 billion bid to take over POAL in 2021.
Roger Gray, POAL chief executive, told the NZ Herald any decisions on the operating model and ownership options for the port are a matter for the council, which owns 100 per cent of the company.
He adds potential benefits of selling an operating lease include the opportunity for global best practice, digital integration, and potentially a linked-up network with Australian ports.
Brown put out a statement on June 22 saying he is “open-minded about the best solution”, and any decision would involve engagement with stakeholders such as the Maritime Union of New Zealand, port users and Aucklanders.
Brown, an advocate for moving the port to Northport, has promised to free up POAL land for public use and improve financial returns to ratepayers.
DP World is officially not saying anything about its interest in POAL, but the NZ Herald reports a source saying the company is confident it can downsize the port operations and free up wharves by making better use of the existing car park building for imports and moving freight off the roads and onto rail to a bigger inland port in South Auckland.
