A.P. Moller-Maersk (Maersk) recently celebrated the opening of its state-of-the-art, integrated cold chain facility at the Ruakura Superhub, solidifying Hamilton as a key touch point within the Golden Triangle for freighting and logistics in New Zealand. Approximately NZD 140-150 million was invested in the Ruakura facility, making it Maersk’s biggest infrastructure investment in the country.
The new facility effectively moves the ocean inland by offering customers end-to-end supply chain management, including import, export, and cross-docking services. It enables exchanging goods between transport modes, such as rail and truck, creating a highly flexible and sufficient supply chain within Waikato and wider New Zealand. Hamilton sits at the heart of the Golden Triangle, between Auckland and Tauranga, which sees 65% of New Zealand’s total freight flow through the strategic corridor. Maersk’s new cold chain facility will help to enhance the region’s thriving economic and freight hub.
“New Zealand has long played a vital role in the global supply chain from dairy, meat to seafood and fruits, the primary industry sector to drive the development of the country’s economy. Over the years, we have made very significant investments in our ocean network and offer today a best-in-class experience from a capacity, coverage, and reliability perspective. We have operated in New Zealand for 27 years – and we are enthusiastic about fostering sustained growth and forging these long-term partnerships with our customers,” said Vincent Clerc, CEO of A.P. Moller-Maersk.
The facility will leverage landside logistic capabilities, allowing for larger quantities of imported and exported goods to flow through New Zealand and the wider Asia-Pacific region.
“The new facility’s ideal location now seamlessly links the ports of Auckland and Tauranga, providing a supply chain for our customers and increasing the volume of possible imports and exports to and from New Zealand, all while retaining the quality of the products. Expanding our product solutions into the cold store segment presents a significant opportunity for our customers to benefit from a state-of-the-art facility as we transform the New Zealand logistics landscape and connect and simplify our customer’s supply chains,” said Kylie Fraser, Managing Director of Maersk Oceania.
New Zealand’s largest dairy company, Fonterra, will use the facility to support its North Island production. Other customers Maersk is excited to see at the facility include BluePrint Global/NZ Grass-Fed Butter, Mega Foods, and Service Foods.
The multi-modal 18,000 square metre facility harnesses the dual-carriage State Highway 1 and direct rail connectivity to the Port of Tauranga and the Port of Auckland. It can load 40ft containers holding 29 tonnes of product onto train carriages. The cold chain facility allows customers to retain the quality of their products during transit by housing nearly 30,000 pallets of products in both cold rooms and blast freezers. These blast freezers can freeze produce down to international food standards in less than 24 hours, locking in the quality and ensuring a fresher product when it reaches its destination. The many rooms allow various products to be stored at different temperatures, satisfying diverse customer needs.
Maersk has partnered with local iwi (tribe) Waikato-Tainui as owners of the land on which the Ruakura Superhub sits. Through the partnership, Maersk has made a significant social investment into the region through job creation and providing Waikato-Tainui with logistics and supply-chain training systems to upskill those in the community wishing to take up a career in logistics. Historically, Waikato-Tainui ancestors traded up and down the nearby Waikato River, and the partnership with Maersk acknowledges this ancient tradition.
“Partnering with a global logistics giant like Maersk, who could see the massive benefits and efficiencies Ruakura Superhub offered, epitomises our vision for the Superhub as a critical supply chain enabler and driver of regional economic development. We’re proud to partner with Maersk to support their growth and ongoing contribution to Aotearoa New Zealand, which will, in turn, support us in driving the economic resilience of our 86,000-strong iwi,” Tuku Morgan, Chairman of Te Arataura, the executive committee of Waikato-Tainui, said.
Maersk was also proud to partner with Apollo Projects, a commercial construction company, on the design and construction of the facility, and supply chain consultant TMX Transform for property advisory and project management.
Maersk has ensured the facility meets the highest sustainability rating possible for a cold store, aiming to achieve, at minimum, a Greenstar-5 rating with an aim to improve this to 6 stars, which will be the highest of any cold store in New Zealand. The facility’s cutting-edge design has enabled Maersk to limit its environmental footprint by installing solar panels on all rooftops, using CO2 instead of ammonia in all freezers, collecting and re-using rainwater and providing electrical charging stations for cars and trucks.
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