Minister Opens Port Nelson’s Patterson Logistics Centre

Tuesday 21 February 2017
Minister Opens Port Nelson’s 13,000m2 Patterson Logistics Centre

Today, Transport Minister Hon Simon Bridges officially opens the Patterson Logistics Centre, Port Nelson’s new 13,000m2 storage facility; the first major building project of a $32 million redevelopment plan announced last year.

The Patterson Logistics Centre is the significant Nelson-side logistics hub of QuayConnect, the port’s Nelson-Marlborough integrated warehousing, transport, and logistics service. QuayConnect was established in February 2016 as a smarter way of distributing goods. In partnership with Central Express Ltd, QuayConnect’s model optimises import and export loads, reducing the number of trucks on the road without reducing actual freight movement.

QuayConnect operates three storage facilities in Blenheim and until this month had used temporary facilities at Port Nelson while the Patterson Logistics Centre was being built. Port Nelson CEO Martin Byrne says with the new facility now open the service’s capacity is increased by 40 percent.
“Over its first year QuayConnect’s primary focus has been on the wine industry,” Byrne says. “We efficiently move substantial freight between Nelson and Marlborough and manage 80 percent of the South Island’s wine exports and 90 percent of the inbound dry goods.

“QuayConnect has had three trucks operating 24/5 but with the Patterson Logistics Centre now open, we can increase our cartage movements by another 10 dedicated line haul truck movements per day and provide capacity to store an additional 18,000 pallets,” he says. “Over the last few months we’ve been recruiting logistics and transport staff for the facility to meet demand, which intensified after the 2016 Kaikoura earthquake when we became a key logistics partner for Marlborough wine producers after their traditional transport routes became unusable.

“I congratulate the project team for meeting the construction deadline so that we could be ready for peak vintage,” Byrne says.

The Patterson Logistics Centre is dedicated to the late Nick Patterson, who serviced for more than two decades on the Port Nelson board. He was a director from 1994 and chair from 2001 to 2014. He sadly passed away in January 2016.
Byrne says it is a privilege to honour Mr Patterson by naming the new facility after him.

“Nick’s understanding of the Nelson and Marlborough business environments and his involvement in horticulture, hops, and cold storage added greatly to the strength of Port Nelson’s board and its direction,” Byrne says. “He envisioned this type of innovative expansion of the port, and supported the investment we are now seeing realised. It is sad that he can’t be here to see the board’s vision come to fruition, but I know he’d be very, very proud.”

Phase two infrastructure development

The Nelson region has experienced economic growth above the national average over the past year, with the primary sector being a star performer. Byrne says Port Nelson has a significant role in servicing this growth, as well as Marlborough’s ongoing requirements.

“Stage two of Port Nelson’s infrastructure development is the construction of an approximately 9,000m2 facility that will further increase capacity to a total of 32,000 pallets of primarily wine and glass. Calder Stewart will begin construction of this second facility in June for completion by the end of this year.
Other key projects at the port include the Plant and Food Research development and the new all-weather workshop facility. The port’s new Harbour Tug Tōia also arrived in Nelson on Tuesday 20th September.

ENDS

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