downturn over the past couple of years<\/a> saw the industry shrink, along with its contribution to jobs and the economy, and the knock-on benefits for the rest of New Zealand tourism industry.<\/p>\nCruise ship industry in the doldrums<\/p>\n
The Cruise Association raised the alarm a couple of years ago, following the launch of a national strategy in August 2024.<\/p>\n
But it had been tough going ever since.<\/p>\n
By November 2024, the industry’s plan was moving in the opposite direction, amid rising costs, industry disorganisation and a sharp 20 percent drop on bookings for 2024\/25 on the year earlier.<\/p>\n
The number dropped again in 2025\/26 by 40 percent on the peak 2023\/24 season with an uncertain outlook for the upcoming season.<\/p>\n
“Despite strong appeal and ratings, New Zealand faces forecast softness in 2026\/27 driven by macro factors (fuel, FX, geopolitics) and local cost\/regulatory settings-reinforcing the need for destination competitiveness and clarity of value,” TAU’s report said.<\/p>\n
Still, IDNZ managing director Debbie Summers who specialises in all manner of cruise passenger logistics on the ground, said developing Auckland’s gateway was key to the industry’s overall success.<\/p>\n
“Cruise tourism is right now bringing in over $1 billion overall in economic spend for the country. That’s without us even really trying. We haven’t actively gone out and really marketed the country,” Summers said.<\/p>\n
“Nearly 40 million people are going to take a cruise in the next 12 months. The industry is booming, and it’s wildly competitive.”<\/p>\n
She said there was a need to support investment in Auckland.<\/p>\n
“Auckland is pretty much the major turnaround port for the cruise industry,” Summers said.<\/p>\n
‘It’s also the economic generator for the rest of the country — for all of our wonderful regions — like Gisborne, and as far down as Bluff and Stewart Island.<\/p>\n
“There are 26 different cruise destinations, and they’re all in various ways dependent on the success of Auckland.”<\/p>\n
The case for development<\/p>\n
Port of Auckland chief executive Roger Gray said the redevelopment plan reflects a shared commitment to ensuring Auckland remains internationally competitive.<\/p>\n
“Around the world, the cruise industry is growing quickly, and this plan outlines how we’re actively working to capture that demand and boost the Auckland economy,” Gray said.<\/p>\n
“We’ve found innovative solutions to biofouling and we’re working with T\u0101taki Auckland Unlimited to promote Auckland and the unique experiences our great city offers to the world.”<\/p>\n
The plan included a proposal to redevelop Auckland’s waterfront to accommodate large cruise ships.<\/p>\n
“We believe we’re creating Oceania’s best cruise destination and that the potential for cruise in Auckland is huge.”<\/p>\n
The proposed Port of Auckland’s Bledisloe North berth and terminal programme includes:<\/p>\n
Development ship berth able to accommodate a large ship of about 350mImprovement to existing berthsCreation of a seamless airport-to-port experienceDeliver a distinctive M\u0101ori-led visitor experience of T\u0101maki Makaurau.Improving existing cruise facilities and accessibility.Stronger collaboration across the cruise sectorBetter use of data to measure economic, visitor and community outcomes.<\/p>\n
Who pays?<\/p>\n
Summers said income generated by the cruise industry and its passengers would ultimately fund the development of the Auckland gateway, rather than the region’s ratepayers.<\/p>\n
She said tourists paid a $100 international visa, which was used to fund various infrastructure as well as conservation efforts.<\/p>\n
“Cruise lines are also paying to come alongside every port that they go into.<\/p>\n
“They’re paying various taxes every single time they drop an anchor or go alongside in a destination.”<\/p>\n
She said Auckland was primed for an increase in visitors.<\/p>\n
“Auckland is just on the cusp of being something really magnificent. We need the visitors, and cruisers – they can deliver.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Auckland Council plan to bring more cruise ships to city Morning Report An ambitious plan to strengthen Auckland’s…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":567099,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[138,111,139,69],"class_list":["post-567098","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-business","tag-business","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/567098","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=567098"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/567098\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/567099"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=567098"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=567098"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=567098"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}