Auckland is a growing city. As the port on Auckland's doorstep we are the most direct route into the Auckland market and we expect our volumes to continue to climb as Auckland grows. We are investing to ensure we can meet that growth. Nearly three-quarters of our inbound cargo is for Auckland – the delivery of goods is quick, the cost of goods is low and our carbon footprint is small because the port is close to the city.
Port of Auckland is owned by Auckland Council, but we operate independently. We are a profitable business, and our dividends are used by the Council to pay for things Aucklanders need. A port's main value, however, is that it facilitates other economic activity. In 2015 economic consultancy Market Economics estimated that Auckland's port facilitated around $15 billion in GDP and 170,000 jobs.
We have a small port site, so we have to operate efficiently. Our car handling and container operations are among the most efficient in the world. We
are also a vital tourism hub and handle over 100 cruise ships annually.
We are a story of change as well as growth. Where once small sailing ships were unloaded by hand, now freight is used by giant machines and sophisticated software. As we've got more efficient, the port now handles more freight than ever before but on
less land than in the past, so former port land has been opened up for public
use. Much of the central business
district is built on former port land. We continue to evolve our port to better
serve New Zealand’s growth.