About Port Otago

Port Otago is 100% owned by the Otago Regional Council. In line with the company's Statement of corporate intent, Port Otago's principal objective is "to operate as a successful and sustainable business that delivers value to our shareholders in the form of both financial and non-financial returns on investment".

Port Otago employs about 330 people and paid $41.8 million in wages and salaries during 2023/24. Just over $30.1 million was spent on materials and services. The company's $9.2b shipping-related cargo throughput value (i.e. excludes Chalmers Properties) was made up of $8.1 billion exports (2.47 million tonnes) and $1.1 billion imports (0.7 million tonnes), reflecting the export nature of our country and region.

Business components

New Zealand context

Port Otago is located on the Otago Harbour of the South Island of New Zealand and is the primary export port for the lower South Island. We benefit from a deep natural harbour, a strategic location for vessel rotation to and from deep-sea destinations and a large primary export cargo region. The business also comprises a significant property business, which includes developments in Auckland and Hamilton, as well as Dunedin. Port Chalmers is also the primary South Island port for cruise ships and generally the port of call immediately before or after visiting Fiordland.

Port Otago’s economic contribution

What would it mean for our local community’s economy if Port Otago could not operate for a year? That was the question we tasked the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research (NZIER*) to answer, to better understand our impact and role in the region and wider economy.

The result is the report, Regional economic impact assessment: Assessing the contribution of Port Otago to the economy (February 2024).

Annual contribution to economy

The institute’s findings show significant negative economic impacts at a national and regional level. With no economic contribution from Port Otago for 12 months, the modelling indicated Gross Domestic Product (GDP) decreased by:

• Otago region - $154 million
• New Zealand-wide - $118 million
• Southland region - $38 million

The report estimates that Port Otago contributed $61 million to the Otago economy through its export and import trade activities during the year to June 2023. Over the past decade, the company’s GDP contribution has been growing at an average annual rate of 7%.

Port Chalmers

Port Chalmers is one of New Zealand’s two deepest container ports and services the largest container ships visiting New Zealand. It can store more than 6400 containers and has one of the highest number of reefer (refrigerated shipping container) points of any New Zealand port, with 1450.

• Container Terminal – 17.7ha
• Log area – 4.6ha
• Warehousing – 63,400m²
• Total wharf length– 1143m
• Head office
• Lower Harbour Channel depth – 13.5m (consented to 15m)

Dunedin Bulk Port

In Dunedin, Port Otago has two wharf-side cold storage facilities, able to hold up to 10,500 tonnes of chilled product. This is used primarily to service fishing customers. There is also significant log activity, including storage, scaling and export.

• Log area – 4.5ha
• Cool storage – 21,000m²
• Warehousing – 8500m²
• T/U wharf – 766m
• Upper Harbour Channel depth – 8.5m