A study has been launched on the current and future freight demands on ports and port-related infrastructure in the upper North Island.
The independent study has been commissioned by the Upper North Island Strategic Alliance, a body of representatives from the Northland, Auckland, Waikato and Bay of Plenty councils.
The alliance says an efficient, safe and effective transport system is critical for the upper North Island to achieve sustained economic growth and enable the country to compete internationally.
Hamilton mayor Julie Hardaker says the study will explore the ability to meet freight demand in the context of various potential infrastructure or resource constraints.
The Customs Brokers and Freight Forwarders Federation says the study is very timely because of what it calls the bottlenecks at a number of ports.
