9 Jan 2023

Government exploring development of new dry dock in Northland

6:05 pm on 9 January 2023
Northport is a deep-water commercial port located at Marsden Point near Whangārei.

Northport is located at Marsden Point in Northland. Photo: Northport

The Ministry of Transport says it is exploring the case for the government to develop a new dry dock in Northland.

The proposal for a dry dock of scale to service bigger commercial vessels has been considered for several years by local and central government.

Following a tender process last month, consulting firm Price Waterhouse Coopers has been announced as the agency to lead the business case.

PwC will identify the strategic and wider benefits of a dry dock for Northland and New Zealand, as well as consider ownership structures and financing.

The case was expected to be presented to the Minister of Transport by mid-2023, before further decisions were made.

Last year, a report commissioned by Northland Inc found a shipyard and dry dock development could create 1000 jobs.

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