Behind the Port of Auckland: Ford utes, tractors and a 1525% fee hike
However, challenges in some sectors of the economy were obvious.
'Cement is flat, structured steel through multi-cargo is the worst it's ever been, cruise was okay this year, next year [cruise demand] drops by 30%,' Gray told Markets with Madison.
The volume of second-hand vehicle imports had already halved from its peak, he said.
'This trade of all has really been hit by the slowdown in the New Zealand economy.'
The cars that were coming in were more combustion engine conventional cars, not electric.
'I think what will also happen is, if the tariff situation stays with the US and China, I think China will start to look for free-trade markets,' Gray said.
'So rather than sending the BYDs into the West Coast, I'm expecting us to see some quite significant growth in the importation of BYDs into markets like ours.'
Gray said the company, which was owned but not controlled by the Auckland Council, planned to 'sell' back two of the port's wharves to the city for recreational use.
'Not give up, sell,' Gray explained, relating to a debate with the council about whether the land would change hands through a commercial transaction.
The port had guided that it would make a full-year net profit after tax of between $75 million and $80m in the financial year about to end.
'I've been quite open about starting to charge much more in access charges, because in my view, the city wasn't getting a fair return.'
The charge for a vehicle, such as a truck, to enter the container terminal was $8 when Gray arrived at the port in March 2022.
It now cost $130 per vehicle - a 1525% increase.
Advertise with NZME.
And Gray planned to keep increasing the cost, he said, to be more in line with Australian ports that charged around $350.
The company had paid down $100 million worth of debt in the past three years.
It scrapped a straddle software automation project, resulting in a write-off of $65 million.
'I don't think you should ever rule out automation, but what I would say is that automation project wasn't the right one.
'We don't have any capacity constraints now for at least the next 15 to 20 years.'
Go behind every aspect of the Port of Auckland operation in today's episode of Markets with Madison.
Sponsored by CMC Markets.
Disclaimer: The information provided in this programme is of a general nature, and is not intended to be personalised financial advice. We encourage you to seek appropriate advice from a qualified professional to suit your individual circumstances.
Madison Malone (nee Reidy) is host and executive producer of the NZ Herald 's investment show Markets with Madison. She joined the Herald in 2022 after working in investment, and has covered business and economics for television and radio broadcasters.
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The improvements include a clearer and more precise view of outage areas so customers can immediately see if they are affected. Customers can now dig deeper for more detailed outage information. This includes live status updates, an explanation of the issue and details on what's being done to fix it. There are also estimates of the time and date services will be restored. In normal times, maps get around 1000 views a day. Kelly says this rises fast when there is a major disruption. 'During Cyclone Gabrielle, the outage map saw a sharp increase in usage, with 43,583 views in just one week.' You can see the map for yourself at: 2degrees, Datacom pair to chase enterprise accounts Datacom managing director Justin Gray and 2degrees chief business officer Andrew Fairgray. A 'preferred supplier' partnership between 2degrees and Datacom will see the two companies formalise an arrangement previously used to offer enterprise and government customers a one-stop shop. 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Freeview GM Leon Mead says TVNZ was the first to upgrade to HD. At the time of writing TVNZ 2 and Duke offer HD nationwide while TVNZ 1 offers HD in Northland and Auckland. Elsewhere it offers improved picture quality. In other news… Spark in line for $47m windfall from Hutchison takeover The NZ Herald's Chris Keall writes about a transaction in Australia which could reap Spark a much needed cash injection. However the story goes on to say Spark may be able to do better if it doesn't take the offer currently on the table. At Reseller News, Rob O'Neill dives deep into responses to the Green Party's right-to-repair legislation. While the idea is well-intentioned, it could have far-reaching effects and cause more problems than it solves. IDC has cut its forecast for worldwide phone shipment growth from 2.3 percent earlier this year to 0.6 percent, which is effectively a flat market. It puts the blame on economic headwinds and notes the continued uncertainty from the US over tariffs is not helping. The Download Weekly is supported by Chorus New Zealand. Australian warship takes rural fixed wireless broadband offline was first posted at
