Central New Zealand News

Hundreds of survivors stranded by a huge earthquake that struck central New Zealand three days ago reached Christchurch by a naval ship early on Thursday, as engineers in the capital Wellington assessed the state of dozens of damaged buildings. Around 450 tourists and residents from the small seaside town of Kaikoura were taken by the New Zealand navy's multi-role vessel HMNZS Canterbury to Christchurch, the South Island's largest city, overnight. Kaikoura, a fishing community and popular whale watching base ringed by steep mountains…

Ports of Auckland, Napier Port and Icepak today announced the formation of a joint-venture to develop a new inland port and intermodal freight hub at Longburn, Palmerston North and to target Growth in Manawatu-Whanganui Region. Located on the site of the old Longburn freezing works owned by Icepak, the venture will see the nine hectare site transformed into a significant intermodal logistics and manufacturing hub. Site clearance is underway and work will start soon on a cross dock to complement the existing Icepak cold store on site. A container yard and container wash facility – to prepare containers to export ready standard – will also be built. This is the first stage of a $20 million development.