Craigs Investments Partners was the venue for our lunchtime speaker slot with Sara Lunam on July 6^th. Sara is the Corporate Services Manager at the Port of Tauranga. She was appointed to this position in 2010 and since then has seen huge growth and investment in the port.

Sara shared with us the figures that have made Tauranga become the largest port in the country both in terms of total cargo volume and  container throughput. Last month the Port of Tauranga celebrated a new record of more than one million TEUs (Twenty-foot Equivalent Units).

This result comes from the investment that the port has made to become “Big Ship” capable. This included the dredging programme which deepened and widened shipping channels in and outside Tauranga harbour as well as additional gantry cranes, straddle carriers for moving containers around the terminal, and extending the container wharf length. Storage areas have also been increased and additional trains are now transferring containers to and from Tauranga.

This increased capacity and economies of scale mean New Zealand importers and exporters can access cost-effective, direct links to international markets through the port which now it handles 41% of the country’s exports. We are also seeing an increase in the average vessel size of cruise liners and bulk cargo ships, including logging ships.

According to Sara, there is still plenty of room for further expansion for the port both in terms of capacity and inland operations including further utilising the Metroports facilities in South Auckland, Hamilton and other locations. We look forward to hearing about future developments and operating milestones.

As well as giving us an update on the port, Sara also shared her own career story that lead to her current role. In previous shipping related roles she had encountered some pretty sexist attitudes but with her resilience and hard working ethic she soon earned the respect of her co-workers.