PORTS OF AUCKLAND Submission on International Freight Services For more information: Tony Gibson, Chief Executive
[email protected] 09 348 5284 Catherine Etheredge, Senior Manager Communications
[email protected] 09 348 5255 0274 777 501 2 Introduction 1. Ports of Auckland (POAL) is pleased to have the opportunity to provide a submission to the New Zealand Productivity Commission‟s inquiry into international freight transport services. 2. This submission complements, and provides additional information to, views presented in a separate submission prepared on behalf of all New Zealand port companies. 3. New Zealand is a unique economy, geographically distant from world markets. We are one of the world‟s most active trading nations with import-export trade representing around 70% of GDP. Our primary production sector, for example, which is highly reliant on an efficient and cost effective supply chain, contributes around 65% of New Zealand‟s total exports. 4. New Zealand is also a small player in global trade terms, representing 0.39% of world container port traffic. 5. A coordinated, end-to-end approach to understanding supply chain logistics and productivity, with increased alignment and co-operation between all phases/links in the chain, has the potential to improve New Zealand‟s economic performance. 6. This is easier said than done. New Zealand suffers from an „information deficit‟ about its supply chain operations (to give just one example, little is known about who in the supply chain is making decisions about which port is used and what mode of overland transport is deployed). While importers and exporters, transport operators and ports each have their own insights, there is an opportunity to assemble and review the various sources of information to inform a strategic long-term approach to improving productivity.