Wednesday January 24 2018
BAY HARBOUR
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PAGE 17
Fire rage s, homes
at risk
Thriving port key to region’s growth
Lyttelton Port Company chief executive Peter Davie explains LPC’s role in ensuring the region has a prosperous port to meet Canterbury’s predicted growing freight demand There is a tangible change in our city. No longer are we talking about resilience. What we are increasingly hearing is the word ‘regeneration’ and people talking about new beginnings. There is a growing business confidence across Christchurch and the wider Canterbury region. Over the last six months our local economy has continued to outperform historical activity levels. Although the Christchurch rebuild has been the key driver of our economic growth, it’s commonly accepted that this activity is slowing down. To ensure our economic growth continues we need to rely on our more traditional sectors such as manufacturing and agriculture – the good news is both sectors continue to grow. Lyttelton Port has a vital role to play in enabling further growth in these two sectors. Our purpose is simple – we exist to facilitate trade in Canterbury and the South Island. In one of the most exciting development stages we have experienced, we have now rebuilt our port and enhanced our services ready to meet Canterbury’s increasing freight demands. This is essential given these needs are predicted to double in the next decade. As New Zealand’s second largest export port and New Zealand’s largest coal facility, Lyttelton is a key contributor to the economic drivers of the Canterbury (and South Island) regional economy, which, in turn, underpins much of the
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economic activity within greater Christchurch. The port has doubled total container volumes in the last decade and achieved record annual container volumes this financial year and our noncontainerised cargo is also growing. These results bode well for Canterbury’s future. A thriving port is essential in order for our customers’ cargo to move through land and sea routes as efficiently as possible. Almost all the goods our econ-
omy needs to prosper enter our lives through the port – from the cars we drive to the milk powder we sell to international markets. Our far-reaching shipping services provide unmatched access to worldwide markets for South Island exporters We are well aware of our role in facilitating our growing economy and right now a major investment redevelopment programme is well under way, encompassing 20 large projects. We have lodged a range of resource consents with Envi-
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ronment Canterbury to allow us to undertake our redevelopment projects. During the past decade the environmental management of port and harbour operations has taken on a higher profile. We are working closely with Ngai Tahu and other stakeholders as we proactively ensure our operations do not adversely impact on our environment. Some of the projects have been completed and are already boosting our operations and provide strong support for the regional economy and the recovery. These include the new $85 million Cashin Quay 2 container wharf, which has increased our container trade capacity and ability to service the predicted freight increases, and our new inland port at Rolleston, MidlandPort. We have also repaired and strengthened our inner harbour jetties and oil berth to allow us to continue to support log, fish-
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ing, gypsum, fertiliser, oil and other bulk trades. A key focus of the redevelopment programme is moving port operations to the east, away from the local community onto land being reclaimed in Te Awaparahi Bay. Reclamation will triple our land space for the increased container trade. As container ships are getting bigger, the channel deepening programme is one of our 20 large projects, showing how we are adapting quickly to the changing needs of our customers. Construction has begun on Te Ana Marina, Canterbury’s only walk-on floating marina in Lyttelton’s inner harbour. The marina is the first stage of our wider community regeneration plan providing the public with amenities in the area and access to the waterfront. We support the development of a cruise ship berth and we will soon lodge our resource consent with Environment Canterbury to seek consent to build the berth. We will hold public information events this year so people can understand what we will be building and we will be able to provide an updated timeline for construction of the berth. We’re also proud of our dedicated staff and of critical importance to us is ensuring that all our people, including our customers, suppliers, contractors and port users get home safely each day. It’s great to be back in Lyttelton and supporting local business, in our new offices at the port. Our eyes are firmly fixed on the future and we are proud to play our part in both the regeneration and future proofing of the growing prosperity of Christchurch. •Peter Davie is the chief executive of Lyttelton Port Company, a role he has held for 13 years. He is also a long-standing board member and past president of the Canterbury Employers’ Chamber of Commerce. •Pirates Corner, p21
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