MARNCO Fertiliser Co.

FERTILISER FIRM MARNCO

has marked a major milestone with the arrival of its first vessel into Taranaki – a move that brings local farmers something they’ve long been seeking: genuine choice.

“Taranaki wasn’t in our immediate plans, but when we found the right warehouse –and, with the support of Arun Chaudhari, CEO of the Chamber of Commerce, secured the necessary approvals – we seized the opportunity and made it happen,” says Marnco managing director Mark Been.

The company began operating in Bell Block in March 2025, after receiving environmental approvals from New Plymouth District Council. It is the only site in New Zealand that Marnco runs entirely in-house.

“We take a lot of pride in it,” says Mark. “If that works, we can really look at running more warehouses ourselves.”

Three people work at the Taranaki site – Account Manager Craig Robinson, Warehouse Manager Paul Matthews, and Loader Jesse Malcolm. “Paul was born in Taranaki,” says Mark. “He was working with us in Tauranga but came down to make sure it works properly.”

National Sales Manager Nicola Frampton says the team is already building strong connections in the region. “Farmers are very interested to have another player in the mix that gives them opportunities they may not have with the incumbents,” she says. “I guess it’s also a little bit of a

step into the unknown for them. Craig’s done a great job of getting out there and talking to the farmers, and spring is upon us. We’re starting to have farmers come on board and open customer accounts as well.”

In its first 12 months in Aotearoa, Marnco sold 50,000 tonnes of fertiliser.

“My goal to the team is, hey, let’s get to half a million tonnes,” says Mark. “So we’re 10% of the way there in our first year, which is a fantastic result.”

Marnco aims to increase competition in a market dominated by two longstanding players. “Whereas prices often work in tandem, we’re offering price competition and price checking against the competition,” says Mark.

He compares it to supermarkets: “If you’ve got New World and Woolworths, we’re trying to offer a Pak’n Save model.”

The company runs a bulk supply model, offering 500kg, 1-tonne bags and bulk. Core products are urea, SOA (sulphate of ammonia), and Sulphos – a phosphate product used in hill country as an alternative to SSP.

Marnco sources fertiliser internationally, adjusting to market shifts and supply challenges. “It’s a global commodity susceptible to shocks,” says Mark. “We try to get freight efficiencies by purchasing from origins that are closer, but with phosphate, for example, China’s not exporting at the moment, so we’ve had to source elsewhere. We move with the market as well.”

Some fertiliser will come into New Zealand via ship to Port Taranaki, where it will be discharged into trucks and delivered to the Bell Block warehouse on Parakau Rd. Mark says this provides another efficient supply option for local farmers, with product arriving closer to where it’s needed.

Volatility in supply has been highlighted by Ballance Agri-Nutrients’ recent warning it may temporarily shut its Kapuni urea plant due to gas supply issues.

Its CEO Kelvin Wickham says they’ve secured alternative nitrogen supplies and a contingency shipment of 35,000 tonnes of urea.

Meanwhile, Marnco is committed to sustainability. It has a dedicated Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Manager and publishes an annual ESG report with actionable goals. “One of those is . . . whenever there’s a rain event in Taranaki, we’d look at the drains to see if there’s any phosphate or nitrogen in the drains around the warehouse,” says Mark. The company will also offer a coated nitrogen product to reduce volatilisation losses and are moving to support bag recovery scheme model in what it calls a “big bag market”.

Mark says Marnco’s culture is dynamic and inclusive. “We’re young. And if we’re not young in age, we’re young in spirit,” he says. “The industry needs participants to be dynamic, and we try to employ people in the region who understand and talk to the region.”

Although founded in Australia, Mark says Marnco is increasingly Kiwi. “We’re trying to dispel the Aussie-ness in the business,” he says. “We’ve got more Kiwis than Aussies now. So we actually are a Kiwi business.” He jokes that he’s a “hybrid”. “I’ve lived in Auckland for 10 years . . . I’ve got a Kiwi passport still.”

Nicola says their guiding value is simple: “Together, let’s grow.” Mark adds, “I want people that are proud of the company they work for, proud of their identity, that they’ve been able to create their own identity for it . . . It’s all about the customer and the value we can offer them, which they’ve been starved of.”

Contact Marnco 0800 627 626

Or Craig Robinson, Account Manager 027 222 0024

Craig.r@marnco.com