The idea has been around for a while. In 2021, the New Zealand China Council and the Latin America New Zealand Business Council commissioned NZIER to analyse what was estimated to be a $1.9 billion economic opportunity.
In 2024, a gathering of Auckland’s business and civic leaders again highlighted the importance of improved air connections with South America.
More recently, Ngāi Te Rangi brought together Māori leaders, politicians, businesses and port leadership to further engage with the Peruvian Ambassador, aiming to reignite ancestral trade routes and cultural relationships.
At the hui, Peru’s Ambassador underlined that commitment by announcing plans to open a satellite consulate in Tauranga.
It’s good timing, as the freshly opened Port of Chancay is growing its reputation as a trans-shipment hub for Latin America.
The Port of Tauranga is also planning for the future, with automation of its container terminal and the berth extension needed to accommodate the new generation of giant container vessels now dominating global shipping.
Without the wharf extension and automation, those giant vessels are likely to bypass New Zealand. With these investments in place, Tauranga becomes a genuine Pacific trans-shipment hub option.
The growing relationship with Ruakura Inland Port allows containers to move quickly off Tauranga’s wharf via KiwiRail, freeing up space at the port and creating capacity for growth and flexibility for exporters and logistics providers.
For high-value, time-sensitive exports, the connection through to Auckland International Airport enables an efficient mixed sea-air model, giving exporters more control at a time when flexibility is at a premium.
It can also feed New Zealand’s constant need for empty containers to help exporters get their products to market.
But this opportunity goes well beyond moving more boxes. It is about shifting New Zealand’s role in global trade.
If the golden triangle works alongside Māori leadership to reignite ancestral trade relationships, Tauranga can help anchor a new southern trade pathway that delivers lasting benefits for local businesses, communities, and our trading partners.
It could mark an economic turning point for New Zealand, not unlike the shift Singapore experienced over the past century.
It’s time to see ourselves in the flow of global trade, rather than standing at the end of the line.
Matt Cowley is the chief executive of the Tauranga Business Chamber.