Nelson Weekly Locally Owned and Operated
wednesday 26 January 2022
Exporters ‘held at ransom’ Jenny Nicholson
Local exporters say they will be forced to reduce their crop size if shipping delays and cost increases continue. Covid-19 has meant local export companies have faced on-going challenges getting produce shipped overseas. One exporter, who asked not to be named, says some shipping companies are asking for considerably more money to bring empty containers into New Zealand ports. “We are held at ransom to pay what they ask, or we don’t get the empty containers.” He says it was a very tough year last year with both shortage of shipping containers and disruption to shipping schedules. While he is quietly Julian Raine hopeful they will get through this season, realistically he is expecting to run into shortages which could be extreme. Boysenberries New Zealand managing director, Julian Raine, says it is definitely not business as usual. “There has been a massive change in how ships load and discharge their freight,” he says. While ships are still getting into ports, space is limited. “Where we may want 10 containers, we can only get two.” It is not only the lack of space causing difficulties, what did take a month, now takes two as shipping routes are rearranged. “There are times that containers go to a transit point and sit there for a month,” he says.
See pAge 2
Additional copies $1
Con and Kate Barrell with their dog Boots aboard their Sunseeker Manhattan 66 which, along with five other Kiwis, they sailed home from Australia to New Zealand late last month. Photo: Kate Russell.
Stranded in Oz, Kiwi cops sail home Kate Russell It started off as a joke. With the trans-Tasman bubble closed, Kiwis Kate and Con Barrell were stranded in Australia late last year, with no way to get home. “I joked to Con, ‘the only way we are going to get home is by boat’ - so that’s what we did,” Kate says. Thus, an epic ten-day mission home to Nelson on a Sunseeker Manhattan 66 was born.
And not only did the husband-and-wife duo sail themselves back to their loved ones, but they also brought five other Kiwis with them. Born and bred Nelsonian Kate and ex-All Black Con, who hails from the Far North and Christchurch, lived on the Gold Coast for 12 years where they were both in the police force. “A couple of times a year I would come back to Nelson to see family, but when the borders shut
100% locAlly owned And operAted
“
The emotion was pretty intense as we came through The Cut. - Kate Barrell on finally getting home.
down again, we thought ‘if this is the way of the world, we’d rather be home’.” They couldn’t fly back and go on MIQ waiting lists due to Kate’s assistance dog Boots. “So, within a week we were
looking at boats and that was it.” Con, who was a member of the All Blacks in 1996 and 1997, says he was “born and bred” with boats, however, it was foreign territory for Kate. “It was a mammoth task, but we went and got licensed and spoke to every expert we possibly could.” They put a crew together, which consisted of some “pretty handy” people.
See pAge 2
topsouthmedia.co.nz