Palmerston North would welcome the opening of a local Coda intermodal freight hub there as it changes its district plan to become a major transportation and logistics hub.
Mayor Grant Smith says changes to the area’s district plan allow for a 126-hectare extension to the industrial zone near the airport to enable more freight and logistics firms to base their activities there.
He says a 33-hectare industrial extension at Longburn will position Palmerston North as a central processing and distribution hub for the dairy industry.
“It’s a little-known fact that Palmerston North already moves six times more freight than Taranaki, three times more freight than Hawke’s Bay, and two and a half times more freight than Wellington,” says Smith.
Smith also says the opening of Coda’s intermodal transportation hub in Auckland last week will enhance the movement of cargo in and out of Palmerston North.
The Port of Tauranga/Kotahi joint venture brings export, import and domestic cargo flows together in one location and will provide further opportunities for lower North Island exporters to access the Island’s two main ports.
“Coda already runs a daily train between Palmerston North and Auckland to take Fonterra export product up to Auckland and deliver fast moving consumer goods and supermarket stock to the lower North Island,” says Smith.
“This expansion will make it even easier to move freight between the two locations,” he says.
In the longer term, the Coda intermodal hub in Auckland will likely be part of a broader network, with the potential for additional hubs in Palmerston North, Hamilton, and Rolleston.
“Located in the middle of a million people in the lower North Island, and with Wellington just down the road, we’re very well placed to serve as a hub and would be delighted to work with Coda,” says Smith.
