Maersk skips coast, builds Hamilton cool store
Global freight giant Maersk has chosen Hamilton to make its biggest infrastructure investment in New Zealand.
Gigantic fridge-like rooms at the Ruakura Superhub have 30,000 pallet spaces, and temperatures sink to a super-chilled -18C.
Sitting on a 18,000m² site in the centre of the “golden triangle” between Rotorua, Auckland and Tauranga, Maersk said the new $150 million integrated cold chain facility “effectively moves the ocean inland”.
Hamilton mayor Paula Southgate said the opportunities from the cold chain facility and wider inland port would put the city on the map.
“Hamilton is really punching above its weight in terms of attracting international companies. It’s economically outperforming the other metros around the country,” she said.
“We’ve always known that Hamilton has a lot to offer because we are the heart of that golden triangle. It’s no use having a three-legged stool if one leg is shorter than the other.”
The integrated cold chain facility is the latest opening at the 460ha Ruakura inland port, spearheaded by Waikato-Tainui and designed to offer seamless inter-port storage for export, import and supply chain services.
While skipping the sea for Waikato soil, Maersk’s cold chain facility will offer import, export and cross docking services with “end to end supply chain management” of primary industry goods such as meat, seafood and dairy.
“The new facility’s ideal location seamlessly links the ports of Auckland and Tauranga by integrating the state-of-theart cold store as part of inter-port connections,” Vincent Clerc, chief exeuctive of AP Moller-Maersk, said.
The facility was also aiming to up its green star rating. with 3300 solar panels contributing to the running of the site. and a regenerative irrigation system for collecting rainwater.
“Volume is going to come in thick and fast,” with customer interest looking good, said Maersk site manager Peter Phillip.
And promising outcomes were ahead thanks to the partnership between the global cargo company and Waikato-Tainui, a local leader said.
But for Aotearoa’s second-wealthiest iwi, “for us, this is an inter-generation mokopuna investment”, said Tukoroirangi Morgan - the chairperson of Waikato-Tainui’s executive entity, Te Arataura.
“This is the fastest growing city in this country ... we see this as a springboard of better things to come.”