The Ministry for Primary Industries will become the latest addition to Auckland Airport’s business park at the ‘The Landing’ – three minutes from the airport’s terminals and featuring more than 100ha of extensively landscaped development land.
The new 17,000sqm premises will enable MPI to consolidate much of its Auckland services from passenger and cargo clearance and export certification, compliance and inspection to fisheries operations and the national detector dog centre into one location and retain the convenience and benefits of an airport location.
The centre will comprise over 4,000sqm of office space, significant storage and warehousing and kennels for up to 80 dogs.
The minister for primary industries Nathan Guy, minister for food safety Jo Goodhew, MPI director-general Martyn Dunne and Auckland Airport chief executive Adrian Littlewood watched the first sod being turned yesterday ahead of construction in February.
Dunne says the new facility’s fitout costs are being met within existing baseline funding. “In protecting New Zealand from biological risk, we have a great interest in the international passengers entering through Auckland.” In the year to June 30 over nine million international passengers passed through Auckland Airport alone, all of which were wholly screened.
He adds that better facilities and more space will be at hand to better train detector dogs.
Auckland staff numbering around 400 who are distributed across three sites will colocate in the new premises in late-2017 when construction is expected to be complete.
MPI will retain its presence at Ports of Auckland.
