16 December 2019
Leading farm nutrient supplier Ballance Agri-Nutrients has acquired a site in Whangarei to establish its new bagging and
distribution centre. The premises at 223 Kioreroa Road are used currently as a round-the-clock transport hub for a
logistics company but will be converted over the next two years into a fully-enclosed, fully-ventilated facility to
service Northland’s burgeoning agricultural sector, particularly the fast-evolving horticulture industry.
The new site will not be used to make any product ingredients. It will be a place where ingredients are mixed and
bagged, and then collected by customers and members of its distribution network.
The company said in January this year that it would be investing in Northland over the next four years to improve
services to local farmers and growers. The four-stage upgrade includes the closure of the Port Road factory and the
opening of two new distribution centres, the one in Kioreroa Road and the other at a yet-to-be identified site in
Marsden Point.
Mark Adams, Ballance’s Northland project lead, said the two-site strategy would boost customer service and
accessibility, while new, precision semi-automated bagging technology would enhance product quality and reliability of
supply.
Ballance will use the Kioreroa Road site for product bagging and distribution to customers with good access to
Whangarei. The Marsden Point site will become the central distribution hub for Northland, a bulk storage and
transitional facility for product coming directly from Northport, and a customer service centre.
223 Kioreroa Road was previously owned by Argosy Property Limited. The existing infrastructure will be extended to
accommodate Ballance’s operation and the company aims to complete this work by late 2021 or early 2022.
“We anticipate that it will become a 7am to 5pm, five days a week operation, stretching to include Saturday mornings
during our peak seasons in Spring and Autumn,” Mr Adams said. “Traffic and noise levels will be reduced from what they
are now, and the operation will be enclosed completely to ensure minimal dust levels.”
Operations will continue at the Port Road site until Balance commissions the new Kioreroa Road facility.
ends