Published Monday, 23 March 2026
The former workshop site is being redeveloped into a new container terminal area, unlocking valuable operational space.
The project has been in the works for more than a year and follows the construction of the new workshop. Once Te Whare Whakatika was operational, the old workshop was demolished and the site prepared for redevelopment.
Project Manager, Jonathon Deaker, says the scope of work has been largely civil, involving excavation, stormwater infrastructure, and the construction of a deep, heavy‑duty pavement.
“The team encountered some contaminated material and archaeological finds from historic infrastructure,” says Jonathon.
Progress was significantly impacted by prolonged periods of poor weather last year, which saturated the ground and ultimately forced construction to pause over winter.
“We had a really bad run of weather, and I’d really like to acknowledge the patience of the container terminal team. There have been delays outside anyone’s control, but we’re now very close to delivering a great outcome,” says Jonathon.
Work resumed in January and has now moved into the final build‑up phase. With excavation complete, the team is focused on completing the pavement layers ahead of final surfacing.
“We’re in the home straight now. We’ve got around six weeks to go, with the final asphalt layer planned for late April or early May,” says Jonathon.
“The project has been able to relocate unusable material to the reclamation,” he added.
The completed area will cover approximately 7,000 square metres.